Thanks, Dad (For Marrying Sally Jackson and Ruining my Life)
by The OC Architect
Summary: I had a normal life. A normal dad, normal friends. I played normal sports. My dad had a normal wife. My step-mother had a normal son. Oh, wait. No she didn't. This is my story. The story of how I met Percy Jackson and was launched into the world of Greek and Roman gods. D'you think that sounds fun to you? Did you think I could come up with a better summary? Well, you thought wrong.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note** : *nervous laughter* I know. I really shouldn't do this. The only reason I am is to see if this is a good idea or nah. I'm not going to past anymore chapters of this until my Until Dawn fic is over, but I NEED to know if people like this plan. Because if not, I'll trash it. So yeah.

I've been a huge fan of Percy Jackson since the fifth grade and I always wanted to write an OC into his world. The only problem was, I could never think of a good enough idea to really begin the transition. Then this hit me. And it was like, 'Frick yeah!' So hopefully, you PJO fans give me a shot. (Also I'm going to give you a sales pitch and ask you to read my Until Dawn fic if you're familiar with the game, because that fic is my pride and joy right now. So thanks.)

Anyway, I might as well let you guys at it. Let me know what you think! I'm not a mind reader (except when it comes to Mini Chipmunk), so any feedback is the best feedback! Unless you're a dick about it, then please, kindly throw yourself off a cliff. So enjoy! :D

 **Rating** : This'll be a solid T rating for action sequences and language.

 **Disclaimer** : All rights to the PJO and HoH universe go to the man, the myth, and the legend, Rick Riordan himself. I take claim to my OCs.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistakes are mine.

* * *

 _Prologue_

I didn't want to go to the wedding.

I know, I know, that may sound a bit selfish, but I really didn't.

It wasn't going to be a big thing. Just Sally and her son, me, my dad, and my grandma, and my Uncle Jeff, a couple of my dad's friends and Sally's friends for the groomsmen and bridesmaids. The priest would marry the two and there'd be a short wedding reception at some dance hall that my dad's mom rented out, and that would be it. Not a big thing, right? No issue.

Wrong.

Don't get me wrong. I liked Sally. I did. She was sweet, just like the candy shop she worked for. But there was just something…off.

My dad and her, they were great together. Dare I say cute, even (and since I did dare say that, don't you _dare_ tell anyone). They had a mad passion for English which I would never understand and they just _clicked_.

On the other hand, Sally had a son. One who was a bit...well, sketchy. I'd never met Sally's son, Percy, not once in the year or so that I'd known her. Paul insisted he was a good kid, even having only met him a few times. Apparently, he spent a lot of his time at some summer camp with his friends. I was pretty sure summer camp was meant for _summer_. I thought the term was a bit self-explanatory. Maybe I was wrong. Considering it was April at the time of the wedding and Percy was where? Still spending every moment he wasn't at Goode High at the summer camp.

Sally also seemed a bit evasive. My dad, Paul, he'd tried to bring up the subject of Percy's father loads of times. The question was avoided like the Black freakin' Plague. Every time he brought it up, Sally would purse her lips and say, _He was a good man._ Then, bang, end of conversation, and we'd be talking about Project Runway or blue food (Really? Blue food? I'd have to ask about that). It was really sketchy. I was starting to think he was part of the mob or something.

Despite those things, Sally was great. I was happy for my dad. Sally would never replace Mom, that was for sure, but Dad deserved a second chance at happiness.

But there was still think sinking feeling that screamed, _Don't go to the wedding_!

Of course, there was no getting out of it.

Apparently, Percy's girlfriend was coming to be the flower girl or something, and I was supposed to provide the rings, which I was about eighty-two percent sure were on my work desk at home. Or I hoped.

So there I stood, fixing my tie, running my hand through my now-short dark hair. Dad insisted I get it cut, which was absolutely terrible. I had put my contacts in my navy blue eyes because Dad said I looked more "formal" without my glasses, to which I snorted and said, 'Whatever, Dad'.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with a bit of background, shall we?

Okay, so my name is Mitchell Blofis, but everybody just calls me Mitch. I'm sixteen years old, a year older than Sally's son.

I'm an average guy, dark hair, blue eyes, athletic build from my years on the basketball team and being a sprinter in track. My grades average from C's to A's, but mostly B's. I have ADHD, which leads to the C's and B's. I mean, they honestly expect me to sit through seven forty-five minute lectures a day (lunch and study hall didn't count, but they were still torture) and pay attention to them _all._ Nuh-uh. No thank you.

I'll come right out and say it. At Goode High School, I'm popular. I suppose it comes with the territory of playing sports and being good at them. I had a wide range of friends from the jocks, to the nerds, to the debate team, to even a few of the outcasts. I'd been talking to this one girl for a while, typical blonde cheerleader. She was sweet and I could see getting a high school relationship out of it, but not much more.

On to more important subjects.

I had a…strange childhood to say the least. I saw a lot of weird things that were consequently unexplainable at the time, and still are for that matter.

In kindergarten, I saw a dog on the playground. You're probably thinking, _Wow, a dog, you're so special, you little brat_! But this dog was _huge_. The size of a miniature pony, at least. Big, black mastiff, red eyes. No one ever believed me.

Then, in fifth grade, I saw a lady with snakes as feet. Or something. I literally have no other explanation for what I saw.

It was just little incidents like that that drove me insane.

No one ever believed me. I suppose there's no reason for you to, either.

But, hey, believe me or not, I know what I saw.

So this is a fair warning to all of you out here who have seen what I've seen. Keep your distance. Don't ask questions. Stay to yourself and you won't be bothered. If I'd done that, I'd certainly be better off.

And if you want to continue, go on, be my guest. But I warned you, fair and square.

So let's go back a bit, shall we? About a year before the wedding. It all started in that stupid candy store, Sweet on America…

* * *

It was September. I'd just turned fifteen. I was going to Goode Middle School. It was the second week of freshman year. Everything was going fantastically. I had friends in my classes and my dad, Paul, was getting paid well. He decided it was a nice day to go out and grab some candy for acing my English test and my birthday, which had been the day before.

We walked to Sweet on America, a candy shop that was notorious for its sweets. The place was heaven to both me and my dad.

Upon entering, the smell of chocolate and licorice wafted into our noses. I took a deep breath, savoring that first whiff. The shop looked empty for the most part, aside for Mrs. MacGregor, a sweet old lady who lived in my building and the lady behind the counter.

The lady behind the counter was the same lady that was always there, and I was starting to think that my dad had her entire work schedule panned out. She had long brown hair, with a few streaks of gray in it. Her blue eyes always sparkled with kindness that brought a warm pull to my stomach. Her name was Sally. And my dad had been crushing on Sally since the first time he saw her.

If you're a kid with a single parent, you _have_ to know how awkward it is when your mom or dad finds someone new. It starts innocently and they run by their level of attractiveness.

Example: me and my dad's first conversation about Sally, the candy store lady.

My dad: _What did you think of the woman behind the counter?_

Me, mouth stuffed with chocolate: * _unintelligible grumbling*_

My dad: _Mitch, I can't understand you._

Me, clearing my throat: _I said, she was nice. Why?_

My dad: _She was pretty cute, huh?_

Me: _Dad, she's like forty._

My dad: _I'm like forty._

Me: _Point taken_.

My dad: _So? Should I ask her on a date? I didn't see a ring._

Me, with a blank expression: _You looked for a ring?!_

My dad: _I might have_.

Me: _Dude, that's creepy._

I'd continue, but I'd say you got the idea.

So, I rifled through the candy as any fifteen year old would, grabbing armfuls of chocolate and lollipops and jawbreakers. Anything that was straight sugar caught my attention. I'd filled two bags of me and my dad's favorite candies and headed to the counter.

To no one's surprise, my dad was already there, chatting with Sally. Sally was laughing at something he said and my dad was grinning like Christmas had come early. I rolled my eyes and set my bags on the counter.

Sally offered me a wink as she began to scan my things.

"Oh, Sally, this is my son, Mitchell. He's a year older than Percy, I believe."

I narrowed my eyes at my dad. Introductions…never a good thing.

"Can you believe we're in the same writing seminar and I never noticed?" my dad continued.

"Wow," I drawled, "A true shock."

He flicked me in the head. "Be polite." He shot me a warning look. "Teenage boys, right?" my dad said.

"Don't have to tell me twice. I'm sure they'd get along great."

"Who would get along great?" I asked. And then I wished I hadn't.

See, I hadn't known what I'd be getting myself into when I met Percy. I pictured a sweet kid, just like his mom. Boy, was I wrong. I was wrong on _so_ many levels. Of course, I wouldn't meet him for a year or so yet, but still. _Still_.

Sally smiled at me. "You and my son, Percy. He turned fourteen in August. How old are you, Mitchell?"

"Mitch," I automatically corrected. "And I'm fifteen, as of yesterday."

"Well, happy birthday, Mitch! Here, have a sucker on me." Sally beamed at me as she held out a large lollipop. I grinned. Maybe Sally wasn't so bad after all…

"Thanks!" I looked at my dad for confirmation and he grinned, a twinkle in his eye. From that moment, I knew I was screwed. Completely and irrevocably screwed. It was only a matter of time before Dad made a move, I could see it already.

And he did. A week later. The two went on a date. And another. And another. And a whole lot more until there we were, and he'd proposed, and the wedding was about to happen.

I couldn't say I was surprised, not really. I was happy for them, I was. I missed my mom, but she wasn't coming back, so who was I to get in the way of my dad's happiness?

So, of course, I told Dad I was okay with it. He was so excited and I didn't regret a thing.

That was _before_ I met Percy Jackson.

And _that's_ a story you'll want to hear.

Because it all started with that little frick.


	2. Chapter One

**Author's Note** : I sorta forgot that I had this sitting around, so you can read it if you want while I debate the fact that I have five running stories, the muse is slowly draining for all of them, and Pitch Perfect is taking over my life for no reason (and it'll probably be not taking over my life in like a week because I'm ADD).

 **Rating** : This'll be a solid T rating for action sequences and language.

 **Disclaimer** : All rights to the PJO and HoH universe go to the man, the myth, and the legend, Rick Riordan himself. I take claim to my OCs.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistakes are mine.

* * *

 _Chapter One_

"Mitchell, I swear, if I am late for my own wedding because of you…!"

My dad's voice cut through the silence as he yelled up the stairs. I was trying to no avail to fix my tie. It was _not_ going well. In a huff, I left my tie hanging loosely around my neck, my top button to my white button-up. I looked like a freakin' frat boy.

I was in a white shirt and white pants with an electric blue vest and tie. My dad bought me a pair of black leather old man shoes. My hair was sticking up all over the place. I'd gotten it cut last night, but it dried wet after my shower and…well. It really wasn't working for me.

With an irritated groan, I dropped my comb in the sink, completely giving up on my hair. Forget it. We had twenty minutes to get to the chapel in New York City traffic. In other words, we were royally screwed unless we left _right then._

I ran out of my bathroom and took the stairs two at a time. My dad appraised me and raised an eyebrow at my hair. "Really? Today?"

I shrugged as I grabbed my white suit jacket and shrugged it on. "Look, everything else went right. Just be happy I didn't get anything on these white pants. They're so freaking white. Seriously, these things should come with warning labels."

Dad snorted at me and tossed me the keys, which I caught. "Yeah, well, let's go. You're driving. Practice for your test."

"I can't take my test for another four months."

"It won't hurt you."

"Dad, we're late. You sure you want me driving?"

My dad got a wild look in his eyes. "Let's see how well you do weaving through traffic."

I grinned at him. "Let's roll."

* * *

The car ride was nothing short of terrifying.

I drove my dad's Prius as carefully as I could, but it didn't end up being careful at all because of his crazy instructions. I was cutting off other driver's, speeding up at yellow lights, and weaving in and out of traffic like a certified mad-man. I'm pretty sure my dad screamed a few times and I might have peed my pants, which would have been _terrible_ due to a certain pair of white pants. I would not recommend riding with me when I'm late getting places. It's not for the faint of heart.

So, in other words, it was great.

I pulled into the chapel parking lot at 10:59. The wedding was starting at 11:00. Solid.

We ran out of the car and I tossed my dad his keys. He caught them and signaled to my tie and shirt as we ran to the door. After a brief struggle with my tie and my top button, I was ready to roll as we hit the stairs.

Taking them two at a time, my dad and I ran up the stairs. When we burst through the doors, I crashed into a guy a bit shorter than me. I realized with a start that it was the wedding precession. We'd _just_ made it.

Turns out there were more people there than a small family gathering. _Of course_ , it was an open wedding. So, a bunch of people from the congregation were just there to watch my dad get married. I didn't even _know_ half of these people. Again, solid.

Sally had bridesmaids lined up. My dad had groomsmen lined up, linking arms with their bridesmaids. I was about to ask if I was paired with someone (please, God, no), when the person I'd ran into turned around. Or I guess, two persons. They were arm-in-arm.

The guy was an inch or so shorter than me with messy black hair and sea green eyes. He literally smelled like the ocean. A slightly salty smell that wasn't horrible but…different. He was looking at me like I was out of my mind. He was dressed like I was, except the opposite. His jacket, pants, and shirt were blue, while his vest and tie were white.

The girl he was latched to was a blonde, who was, comically, taller than the guy with her heels on. She was in a white dress with blue trim. She had a deep tan. Her hair was curled like a princess's and cascaded down her back in soft ringlets. She was gorgeous…but her eyes. They were honestly intimidating, and it kind of ruined the picture. They were a deep gray, like a brewing storm cloud. She was analyzing me so intensely, I was kinda uncomfortable.

"Dude!" the guy hissed quietly. "Where have you guys been?!"

"Forget that! I didn't know we were having…people! Who am I with?! And who are you?!"

I already knew the answer, somewhere in the back of my head, but a bit of verbal confirmation was what I needed.

The guy grinned goofily and stuck out his hand. "Percy Jackson, your almost stepbrother. This is –"

The girl scowled as he tried to introduce her and thumped him on the back of the head. "Ouch!"

The girl smiled at me, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. I didn't like that look. She was still scary. "Annabeth Chase."

I shook both their hands hesitantly, "Mitchell Blofis. You guys can call me, uh, Mitch. So…uh…should, like…"

The girl – Annabeth – pointed to the only bridesmaid without a groomsman. "That's Kate." Then the music started playing and I began to panic.

Percy shoved me towards her. "You're after us!" he hissed, "Just like, make friends, it's not hard!"

"Says you!" I shot back and sidled my way over to the bridesmaid. "Are you Kate?"

The girl looked at me and I was shocked at how pretty she was (and quietly praising God above for pairing me with her). She had light brown hair woven up in an intricate design on her head. Her eyes were the color of a forest, a deep green like the foliage of a jungle. She was slightly tanned and a splash of freckles covered her nose.

She was cute for a total of three seconds before she opened her mouth.

"Where have you _been_?! The precession is starting!"

I made a split second decision and cursed God above for making her a fiery ball of sass.

She linked arms with me without another word and huffed, looking forward.

"Nice to meet you, Kate, I'm Mitch!" I muttered. "Oh, the pleasure is all mine, Mitch, I'm sure we'll be great friends!" I responded back to myself in a mock falsetto voice.

Kate glared at me. "Smile and look cute. It's our turn."

The scowl on her face disappeared in a second and we were walking down the aisle, fake smiles plastered on our faces.

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate weddings?

Cameras flashed and iPhones were whipped out, taking pictures of us. I smiled through the pain. And trust me. _There was a lot of pain._

I released a breath I didn't know I'd been holding when Kate and I separated and I took my place by Percy. The priest began talking and I zoned out and before I knew it, Percy was nudging me.

"What?" I hissed.

"Get ready. We're about to give speeches."

"Speeches?!"

"Yeah, ya know, those things people give at public speaking events?"

Of all my luck. If there was one thing I could never do, it was public speaking. And it was about to show. While the other groomsmen gave speech about my dad, I was racking my brain to think about what to say. I was coming up with a whole lot of nothing.

And then I was at the podium.

I waved a bit awkwardly to the audience. "Hello, there." My voice sounded deeper than usual and a bit strangled. I may have heard Percy snorting behind me, but I categorized it as my imagination. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Mitchell Blofis. Paul is my dad.

"Normally, I have a lot to say on…on, well, lots of things. But I'm going to be real with you all, I'm at a loss for words right now. I could go on about my dad and Sally and how great they are together. I could go on about my dad period. But I want to do something different. I want to tell you a bit about the bride, starting with a story.

"You all know my dad. He's an English teacher at Goode High. He's old." The audience laughed. "He's a great guy in general and an even better father. I'm not sure where I'd be today without him." I paused. "When my mother passed away when I was ten, I was left broken. My mom…she could light up a room with just her smile. She took me to Coney Island for the first time when I was eight and it was our place to go after, ya know?

"I loved my mom more than anything." Then I whispered conspiratorially into the microphone, "Maybe even more than my dad, but don't tell him I said that." More laughs. "I wasn't sure I'd ever get over her death. My dad took a couple women on dates, and I hated it. I wondered how he could get over my mom so quickly. Then I met Sally."

I took a moment to smile dazzlingly at my dad's wife-to-be. There were tears in her eyes as she smiled back. "I saw just how happy she made my dad. She'd walk in a room and his eyes would light up, just like it was with my mom. For the first time in a long time, I remembered what it was like to see my dad truly happy. And I realized, who was I to get in the way of that?

"I remember my dad telling me that he was thinking of proposing to Sally. To be honest, the admission hit me like a truck. They'd been seeing each other for a year or so, though, and they sure as heck aren't getting any younger, so I guess I had no reason to be so shocked. But when my dad told me, I was so excited. I was excited for them, I was excited to have a stepmother as wonderful as Sally, I was excited to finally, meet her elusive son, who, for the record, I just met about a half hour ago.

"Sally has become easily the closest thing to a mother that I could get. She's so easy to talk to and she just brings light to my day. I never thought I'd truly get over my mom's death, but that wasn't it. No, it was that my dad hadn't met the right woman yet. So here's to Paul and Sally. Good luck, guys," I said, throwing a wink at the two of them.

The crowd's approval roared of my speech, which was incredibly surprising. I wasn't really sure where that had come from, but I definitely wasn't expecting it. I thought it would go more something like, _Well, my dad's pretty chill. I like Sally. Have fun with your marriage!_ and then I'd run back to my place behind Percy like an idiot.

When I got back to my place, Percy leaned over to me. "I thought you sucked at public speaking?"

"I never said that."

"Your expression did."

"I'm full of surprises."

Percy snorted.

The service continued as usual. The priest said more words, which I didn't pay attention to because the guy was like sixty and his voice was deep and mellow, like melted butter. Someone could put that man's voice on a looped CD and I'd fall into a sleep coma, no problem.

And then he said three words that were like a slap to the face.

"The rings, please."

My brain shut down. I went into panic mode. I was supposed to have the rings. The rings were _my_ job to remember. _And they were sitting on top of my pre-calculus homework in my room_.

No one moved. The church was silent. If I pin dropped, it would have sounded like a bombshell. My dad peeked over his shoulder, looked at me, and jerked his head forward like, _Let's go!_

I did the first thing that came to mind. I clapped my hands together and looked at the audience. "You guys remember that bomb speech I gave like ten minutes ago right? Well that's about my capacity to not suck. The rings may or may not be at home."

I heart Percy snort. Annabeth rolled her eyes at me, a slight smirk on her face. Kate was groaning and glaring at me. My dad slapped his forehead.

I was fully prepared to try and defend myself. Maybe I'd make a few jokes and win the crowd over with my irrevocable wit and charm? Yeah, yeah, okay.

"Okay, but let's be real –"

Whatever I was going to say was cut off by the church doors banging open with a loud crash. A cold bit of air swept through the room. In the door were three girls and two very large dogs. Dogs as in black mastiffs the size of miniature ponies. They were just like the one I'd seen when I was younger.

They girls were a bit…well. I didn't want to say _ugly_ per se, because they weren't. Not necessarily. If you're into girls with one furry leg like a freaking donkey and one that was the shiniest metal you'll ever see, then yeah! The other catch was that their hair was on fire and their skin was a sickly gray color, but! But I'm sure they had wonderful hearts!

They were dressed in Goode High cheerleading uniforms, which really threw me off. Last time I'd checked, none of our cheerleaders were vampire donkeys with one prosthetic leg. Maybe I'd just never looked close enough.

"PERCY JACKSON! I WILL HAVE YOUR SOUL CAST INTO THE TARTARUS!"

I take back what I said about their wonderful hearts. Something about _Tartarus_ didn't sound too great and by Percy's expression he agreed. He looked more agitated than anything, which was weird, because the rest of the congregation was screaming and running like chickens without heads.

I could barely hear myself think as people ran around screaming. Sally was tugging my dad aside, who was standing slack-jawed, staring at the girls and their dogs as they stalked down the aisle. He was arguing with her that 'a couple of cheerleaders and their hood rat thugs were not going to ruin his wedding'. I frowned. I was about ninety-six percent that those dogs were _not_ street rats.

The priest was yelling some prayer and throwing holy water around like he could stop and get some more at the nearest water fountain.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen were piling out the back. The only ones that were left were me, Percy, Annabeth, and Kate. Kate, who was now cowering behind me, her fists latched to my jacket. Go figure.

Percy rolled his eyes and looked at Annabeth as they got closer. "One day. Literally one day of peace is all I ask."

Annabeth wrinkled her nose. "You're a child of the Big Three. You honestly expect to not get caught?"

"It's my mom's wedding! I was hopeful."

"You're an idiot."

"Thanks, I get that a lot." He turned to the girls and the dogs and studied them. "Are you Kelli's friends?"

"Yes!" the girl leading the pack shrieked. "My name is Lizzi!"

"Is that also spelled with an 'i'?" Percy asked innocently.

"Yes! How did you know?"

"Lucky guess."

"You're going to pay for what you did to Tammi." Her eyes flashed dangerously as they landed on Annabeth. "And you…daughter of Athena," she spat. _Wait, what?_ "Kelli's going to have fun with you…"

"Um, Percy?"

He turned and looked at me, a frown on his face when he realized I was still here. "Mitch? Shouldn't you be…running and screaming?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm debating it. But then I'd look like a little wimp. On the other hand, something about vampire donkey cheerleaders and giant dogs should be enough to give me a free pass…"

"You can see them?!" Percy's voice was incredulous.

"Mitchell, get me out of here!" shrieked Kate as she buried her face into my jacket. I twisted myself around, trying to get a good look at her. She wasn't having it. "Let's go!"

I looked at Percy. Him and Annabeth were staring at me intently like, _Well?_

"Yes, I can see them!" I finally spluttered. "I don't see how people can miss donkey legs and dogs the size of ponies!"

That's when stuff started to get crazy.

The lead cheerleader, Lizzi, lunged at Percy, who hit the ground in a somersault and took off running around the sanctuary. The one dog followed them while the other dog and one cheerleader went for Annabeth. The last one, of course, zeroed in on me.

She appraised me up and down and cocked an eyebrow. "You don't smell like a half-blood." For the first time, I saw their eyes. They were blood red. Completely blood red.

"Is that a racist joke?" I asked. I am quite proud to admit my voice didn't shake.

She rolled her eyes. "No, silly. It just means you won't taste as good."

"Taste as good," I repeated dumbly.

"Taste as good," the vampire donkey cheerleader confirmed. "Lizzi and Bonni always get the good ones," she grumbled.

"Lizzi and Bonni…the other two?"

She confirmed it with a nod.

"You know – What's your name?"

"Maddi."

"You know, Maddi, you deserve so much more appreciation."

I felt a sharp slap over the head. "What are you doing?!" Kate hissed. I ignored her. I had a plan…kinda. I felt Kate release my jacket and turned to see her crouch down behind the podium.

Meanwhile, as I stalled Maddi, Percy was running rampant around the sanctuary, yelling something about a free pass to Lizzi. In his hand was a…sword? Annabeth had lost her heels long ago and was fighting hand-to-hand with one of the cheerleaders. With a dagger. One of the dogs had dubiously disappeared.

"I mean, anyone as good-looking as you does! Come on! You're _so_ much hotter than those other two."

Maddi was nodding appreciatively. "I know, right? I mean, I put so much effort into my appearance every morning, but everyone only cares about Lizzi! Especially Luke! Just like Kelli before her." She sniffed.

"It's a shame, really," I consoled. "You should do something about it."

"Like what?"

"Like fight them! For us!"

Maddi's face screwed up in confusion. "Why?"

"For personal gain and whatnot?" I suggested.

"That's an awesome idea!" she smiled brightly. "Too bad I still have to kill you. You're such a nice guy. Cute, too." She winked. I nearly threw up.

And then she lunged.

"DUCK!" yelled a voice and something slammed into me. I went down with whoever tackled me and Maddi soared over us, slamming into the table that was usually used for communion. Percy scrambled off me and swung the bronze sword as a giant dog came down on us. The sword pierced its maw and it exploded into dust, giving me a golden shower. Ugh, nasty.

"You're about to get your first lesson in monster fighting!" grunted Percy as stood up quickly, pulling me to my feet with more strength than I thought the fifteen year old would have.

"Monster fighting?" I gasped as he pulled me aside. The claw of Lizzi the vampire cut my jacket open, narrowly missing my skin.

"Monster fighting!" he confirmed with a wild-eyed grin. I was really questioning this so-called 'summer camp' now.

There was an ear-piercing shriek and Percy and I spun around. Annabeth came up beside me, a grim look of determination on her face. Her cheek was cut and bleeding a bit and her hair was messed up. Her dress was torn. She was brandishing her bronze knife quite menacingly.

Maddi and Lizzi had Kate by one arm each, holding her up.

"Normally, we don't eat girls! Especially human ones! But we'll make an exception. Hand yourselves over, or she dies!" snarled Lizzi.

"Or," I said.

"Or?" repeated Lizzi, her face wrinkling up.

"You could let us go."

"Why would we do that?"

"Because if you don't, you're going to be in trouble," I said innocently.

Lizzi laughed. "Oh, yeah? With who?"

"Luke." I wasn't sure where this was coming from. I was thinking on my feet, something I'd always been good at. I didn't realize that it would literally save my life some days.

Lizzi gasped. "You know Luke?!"

"Oh, totally! Luke and I are tight. He's much cooler than these two losers," I mock-whispered and jerked a thumb at Annabeth and Percy. I chanced a look at the pair. Percy looked miffed and Annabeth was pale, glaring at me like I was her next target. Didn't like that so much.

"Awesome! Then you won't have a problem if we kill them, right?"

"Of course not! But I want to do it, deal?"

"Deal."

I held up a finger turning to Percy. My eyes locked with his, flicked to the sword, then back at him. He seemed to understand and nodded slightly. I mouthed _I'm sorry_ and then punched Percy in the nose. I pulled my punch a bit so it didn't break, but a bit of blood dribbled from it. I grabbed the sword and wrenched it out of his hand.

Annabeth was getting ready to pounce on me and I winked at her. It didn't matter. She still elbowed me in the face. I knocked her aside carefully, because she clearly didn't see the wink (or I hoped she didn't and she didn't just elbow me because she wanted to).

I turned back to Lizzi and Maddi and smiled disarmingly. "So what's this sword made of anyway?"

"Celestial bronze. It's deadly to monsters and half-bloods."

"But not mortals?" I asked and picked up Annabeth's knife that she'd dropped.

"Nope, you're perfectly safe."

I scoffed. "I don't believe you."

"No, I'm totally telling the truth!"

"You're saying if I stab myself with this sword, I wouldn't die?"

"That's right!"

"No way."

"Way."

I handed the knife to Maddi, who looked shocked, and then balanced the tip of the hilt on my stomach.

"Like this I asked?" Kate was left with just Lizzi holding her. So far, so good.

"No, silly, the sharp end is pointed at your tummy," she laughed with a flirtatious smile.

"Show me."

"Like this!" Maddi positioned the blade over her cheerleading uniform.

"Oh, like that!" I said, flipping it around. "What if you get stabbed?"

"Well, our essence will split up and be whisked away into Tartarus. There, we'll spend weeks, months, maybe years reforming, until –"

I got closer and closer to her as she spoke. I pretended to trip, knocking into the blade, sending it slicing through the thin fabric of the uniform. Maddi stared at me with a slack-jawed look before exploding into dust.

"MADDI!" wailed Lizzi. She released Kate, who wasted no time running out of the sanctuary. Lizzi glared at me murderously. "YOU!"

I scrambled for the knife as Lizzi bore down on me, hefting me up by the shirt collar. The flames from her hair licked at my face, coating it with a thick layer of sweat. "I swear, I will rip your heart out and feed it to –"

She didn't finish because I tossed Annabeth her knife. A second later, Lizzi exploded and the sanctuary was filled with an intolerable silence.

Percy and Annabeth were staring at me like my hair was on fire. The sanctuary was a wreck. Pews were flipped over, the purple carpet was ripped. One of the stained glass windows was broken. The podium was burning. In the distance, sirens could be heard.

"Is that…?"

"We need to go," interrupted Annabeth, fixing me with a cold glare. I raised my hands in surrender.

Percy picked up his sword and touched the tip of it with…a pen cap? Then the sword shrank down right before my eyes into a pen. A freaking pen. He met my eyes. "I promise, I'll explain everything. But right now, we gotta get outta here."

I didn't argue. Relenting, I ran after Percy and Annabeth out the back door of the church. I wondered for a brief moment if my life would ever be the same again.

The answer was no.


	3. Chapter Two

**Author's Note** : Do you know how long I debated over whether Paul was a clear-sighted mortal or not and whether I screwed up the ENTIRE wedding scene? Pretty much since I updated. The I reread that scene with Paul stabbing a dracaena and says, "I hope that was a monster I just killed!" HOPE. KEY WORD. AHA!

So yeah, here's your update, you should feel special because I really need to get to my Until Dawn fanfic. Like. Right...now.

 **Rating** : This'll be a solid T rating for action sequences and language.

 **Disclaimer** : All rights to the PJO and HoH universe go to the man, the myth, and the legend, Rick Riordan himself. I take claim to my OCs (aka, Kate, Mitch, and a future OC which you will see...eventually).

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistakes are mine.

* * *

 _Chapter Two_

I was admittedly freaking out. I'll come right out and say it. I was a panicked mess. Okay, not as much of a panicked mess as Kate, but pretty darn close.

So there I sat, in the back of a cab with Percy and Annabeth, practically hyperventilating. Kate was in the passenger seat next to the taxi driver, spewing every single thing that had happened back at the church. He was nodding, but he definitely wasn't paying attention.

I was wedged between Percy and one of the back doors to the cab. He was talking to Annabeth frantically in hushed tones. Annabeth was using her hands to speak and seemed downright furious. Percy was trying to defend himself. I was able to pick up the last bit of their conversation as their voices rose in volume.

"…you thought?! You can't just go off a feeling, Percy!" sniped Annabeth.

"Well, c'mon! It was their wedding! Did you want me to refuse to go?"

"Yes!"

"See, exactly, you –" There was a pause. "I wasn't expecting that answer."

"Did you seriously think Luke's men would let you off that easily?"

"They were technically women –"

"I'm being serious here, Percy!"

"Fine, yes, I was hoping we'd get off this time! I was wrong, okay?"

"Well, yeah, that's usually the outcome of your stupid plans!"

They two continued to go back and forth for a while. We were stuck in a horrible traffic jam in downtown Manhattan, trying to get back to Sally's apartment. (At least I _think_ we were going to Sally's apartment. Percy had given the driver the address.) The driver had awful road rage and laid on the horn multiple times. Kate looked absolutely miffed when he yelled some explicit words at the car ahead of us, effectively cutting off her rant about the little incident that had just occurred.

Blame it on stress. Blame it on the fact that I'd just stabbed someone – _something_ – with a pen/sword/thing. Blame it on the driver yelling every curse word known to man in the front seat. But I snapped.

"Would you two quit with your lovers spat and someone just please tell me what the hell is going here?!" I demanded. Now, I wasn't exactly loud, but my voice jerked the two to look at me. Annabeth looked absolutely horrified and Percy was rather amused.

"We are _not_ together!" she declared adamantly.

"Yet," I heard Percy mutter.

"What was that, Jackson?"

"Nothing, dear. Besides, if we're getting technical, you should probably say 'what the _Hades_ ', but that's getting into the more complicated –"

Annabeth slapped him over the head. "Don't call me 'dear'! Not the time or place!"

"It's never the time or place!"

"Oh, really? You want to ask me out in the back of a taxi cab with a foul-mouthed driver and your stepbrother sitting right there? Cause I'd say no."

"So if the conditions were better, you'd say yes?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"GUYS!" I shouted.

"What?!" they yelled back simultaneously. Annabeth's shade instantly turned a vibrant shade of red and she became very interested in her bridesmaid dress. Percy was smirking like he'd just won the lottery.

"Explain!"

The two exchanged a look and Annabeth jerked her head at me. "He's your stepbrother."

"Yeah, but you're better at explaining."

"Oh, please, you've been with the program for three years, it's about time you get stuck with orientation duty."

"I'll mess up!"

"You gotta live with him. Have to start talking to him sometime."

"You know, I am right here," I said, annoyance creeping into my tone.

Just then, the driver slammed on the brakes and my face slammed into seat in front of me. As the car jolted back, I smacked into Percy, who groaned. I rubbed my head and looked out the window just as the driver spoke. "That'll be eleven dollars," he said gruffly.

Percy looked at me, then at Kate, then back at me. Kate was glaring at me murderously. I gulped. Percy shrugged and mouthed 'I'm sorry'. "Mitch, Kate…uh, look, I'll explain everything later. I promise. Annabeth and I have to get back to camp, right now, and, uh, talk to someone."

"Talk to someone," I repeated dumbly.

"Yeah. I'll text my mom, tell her and Paul to meet you two here." He fished around in his pocket before producing a set of keys. "Here," he tossed them to me, "Apartment 3B. Fridge is stocked, don't touch my blue cookies."

"Blue cookies?"

"It's a long story. I'll be home tonight and I promise you'll know everything. Sorry about this."

I got out of the car stupidly and Kate followed suit. The taxi cab tore off into the streets leaving me dumbfounded and Kate looking absolutely livid.

"Well, now what do we do?! And what just happened?!" demanded Kate, looking at me like I would know the answer. I didn't, obviously. And I also wouldn't find out. Not for a while.

You see, Percy never came back that night. Kate and I waited around for him or Annabeth, but neither showed. We spent twenty minutes or so talking about the wedding, convincing ourselves that it was just a really bad daydream. That everyone was having. At…once. Yeah.

Once we got past the freaked-out phase, we actually seemed to bond over our terror. She was Sally's friend's daughter and Sally had asked her to be in her wedding because the two were close. She lived a block away from our apartment with her parents in a large apartment. She went to my high school and we had co-ed PE, lunch, and our English class together (which was kinda awkward cause we never really noticed each other).

Kate was actually a really nice girl, which was a pleasant surprise. We spent a lot of the day watching movies on Netflix and eating ice cream in our wedding attire. She fell asleep eventually, her head on my shoulder, mint chocolate chip ice cream wedged between us. We were in the middle of some god-awful Adam Sandler romantic comedy. She wasn't missing much.

Eventually, my dad and Sally got to the apartment, clearly over the fiasco that had just transpired hours ago. Paul carried Kate to the other bedroom, which happened to be Percy's room. He waggled his eyebrows at me when he saw her head on my shoulder and I rolled my eyes. Leave it to my dad to jump to conclusions. Heck, we were barely friends!

Sally cleaned up Percy's room a bit for Kate so you could at least see the floor (and made it smell like less of a pigsty). I slept on the couch and dreamed that I was on a date with Maddi the cyborg donkey vampire. I woke up just before she could eat me alive. According to my phone, it was only four in the morning.

Shifting myself on the couch to sit up, I fell off and hit the ground with a thud, groaning. After picking myself up with a great deal of expletives that would have made the taxi cab driver proud, I found myself on the fire escape overlooking Manhattan.

Then I nearly toppled over the fire escape railing when Kate came up next to me.

"Warn me next time!" I huffed as I settled back down against the edge.

Kate was laughing, tears leaking slightly out of the corners of her eyes. "Oh my god, you jumped ten feet, at least."

"Really?" I mused. "Only ten? It felt higher than that."

She laughed again and pushed my shoulder. "Oh, shut up."

We lapsed into a comfortable silence, looking out over the unusually quiet streets below. Occasionally a car or two would go down the road, breaking through the peace. When it disappeared from view, the silence returned as overpowering as ever.

"Couldn't sleep, then?" murmured Kate, her voice a soft whisper.

"Nope," I replied. "You?"

"I had a dream that I was hanging out with Maddi and we ate dinner at her house, but dinner was Percy," muttered Kate. I looked over at that and saw looking back at me with a dead serious expression. I snorted and burst into laughter before I could stop myself.

Kate slapped me on the arm. "Hey! It's not funny!"

"It's kinda funny," I said.

"Oh yeah? Why are you out here, then?"

I sobered up instantly. "I just couldn't sleep."

"Bullcrap."

Sighing, I relented. "Fine. I dreamed I was on a date with Maddi. And she tried to eat me during a kissing scene in that Adam Sandler rom-com we were watching last night."

Kate sniggered.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want."

She was serious a moment later. "Mitch?"

I looked over at her. She was staring at me, head tilted slightly. Her makeup was smudged from sleeping and we were close enough that I could just barely make out the freckles on her nose. Her eyes seemed to drill a hole straight through me. Under the moonlight, I had to admit: she looked breathtaking.

"Yeah?"

"It…it really happened, didn't it?"

I looked away and studied the horizon, thinking hard before answering. "Yeah, Kate. I think it did. I don't know how, but I definitely didn't imagine what I saw. There's no way."

"Not even a little chance?"

"Nope."

"Of course not." There was a bit of silence before Kate spoke again. "D'you think Percy's going to come back like he said?"

"I met him today and the only thing I learned is that he's not a very composed guy. He's more the 'fly by the seat of your pants' type. He probably forgot."

"Yeah. But, I mean, Annabeth would have reminded him, right?"

"Pretty sure Annabeth doesn't like us."

"That's a fair point."

"We just need to do our best to forget about it."

Kate snorted. "I'll be having nightmares for the next year, at least."

"Hey, I said do our best. I never said it'd actually work."

"Yeah, I guess you did." Her voice was quiet and small. Almost…scared. She wouldn't look at me.

"Hey," I said softly, resting a hand on her shoulder. Her emerald green eyes reluctantly met mine. "We're gonna figure out…whatever happened today. Okay? And we'll do it together. You seem to forget that I also have no idea what I saw. It was kind of a blur to be honest. But I still remember the teeth, the red eyes, the freakin' donkey hoof and robot leg. We're gonna be fine. Cause we'll support each other."

Kate smiled at me, a real genuine smile. It warmed me from my head to my toes. She rested her head on my shoulder and I tucked her into my side. We stayed that way for a long time. I'm not sure how long, to be honest. But each of us had made a friend that night.

And life went on. I didn't see Percy again. Kate and I never found out what happened. He never came back. We even tried mentioning it to Sally and Paul. They looked at us like we were insane. It was like nothing had ever happened.

But Kate and I knew. There was no way that it was our imagination. It simply wasn't a possibility. So, naturally, we kept to ourselves. We talked when we needed to. We were each other's shoulder to lean on.

The two of us became inseparable. She was my best friend, for the most part. We got into arguments here and there, but nothing big. We studied together all the time, jogged together during PE, and when we were opposing team captains for dodgeball, that class was a warzone and our classmates knew it. It was a battlefield; a fight to the death.

For the next couple months, we were always told that we should start dating, which we both played off, laughing and denying any semblance of feelings for more than friendship. I had flashbacks to me accusing Annabeth and Percy of dating in the cab. Kate and I were pretty much exactly like that. Heck, I was the only one who could call her 'Katie' without getting judo flipped. That didn't help our 'just friends' argument.

In March, we started seeing other people. It wasn't to emphasize the 'just friends' thing (okay, it totally was), it was because we held no romantic feelings for each other (no it wasn't). Kate started dating the quarterback of our football team, Mark McDowell, and I was seeing one of the cheerleaders, Morgan Dunlap.

We went on double dates…when my relationship was working out. Mark and Kate had been going strong for a while. Unfortunately for me, Morgan had wild mood swings. We were 'on again, off again'. A lot.

Nevertheless, Kate and I stuck by each other's side. We finished off tenth grade together. Everything was flowing smoothly. Until August. August, things got messy. Really messy, really fast.

In August, Mark dumped Kate. It was swift. It was brutal. It was completely unforeseen. One day, they were the perfect teenage couple. The next, Kate was at our doorstep, a crying, blubbering mess. I, being the gentleman and awesome best friend that I am, went to the nearest convenience store, bought a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a box of tissues, and sat on the couch with Kate while she regaled me with the story of her breakup.

Afterwards, we ended up watching some crazy horror movies, more importantly categorized as slasher films. Each time the murderer would kill a victim, Kate would point to the dead person and say 'That's Mark' and I'd crack up laughing.

Well, my laughter was short-lived. That same night, Morgan sent me a text, ending our relationship for the…fourth time, or so. Really, I shouldn't have been surprised. But things had been going relatively well for the last couple weeks. We hadn't fought at all.

…Okay, there was that scuffle about Cap'n Crunch, but that was it!

So, there we sat, two single Pringles, eating ice cream and watching slasher films. I wasn't broken up over it, but I pretended to be for Kate's sake, to try and take her mind off of Mark. I complained about our relationship, she complained about hers, and it was a healing process for both of us.

Until the end of the slasher movie.

Said slasher movie ended…nicely? The main character and his love interest survived, yay! They kissed and made up. And then Kate kissed me. Totally out of nowhere. Okay, maybe not out of nowhere, people had been saying stuff for months, but it was out of nowhere for me. I was shocked and startled, and it was over before it even really got started. She tried to leave, but I wouldn't let her, despite the obvious elephant in the room. So I let Kate take my room (because Percy's was a mess _even though I hadn't seen him since the wedding_ ) and I slept on the couch.

When I woke up that next morning, she was gone. Naturally, I texted her all day and never got a response, so I did the logical thing. I went to her apartment with roses and asked her out on a movie date. We set it for August 16. That Friday. It was going to be perfect.

Of course, it wasn't. I had it planned. It was set. It was going to be great. We'd go to lunch and then go see a movie, maybe an evening walk in Central Park.

It didn't go that way though. I'm not sure why I was surprised when _nothing_ went according to plan, and that's an understatement. I bet you all can guess who the root of the problem was, too.

The one. The only. Percy Jackson. That's when things really hit the fan.


	4. Chapter Three

**Author's Note** : Okay, lemme clear this up. Kate is NOT Katie Gardner from the PJO series, who conveniently forgot existed when I made up Kate. So different people. Another thing, I'm sorry if these chapters seem rushed. The Mitch/Kate thing was purposefully rushed, you'll figure it our probably in this chapter. And this seems a bit rushed, because, well, Percy is on the verge of the war with Kronos and the Great Prophecy. I don't think he can curb himself to catch Mitch up, so it's probably really good Mitch is a 'go with the flow' kinda guy.

This is kind of a short one, so read and review, and thanks for your continuous support!

 **Rating** : This'll be a solid T rating for action sequences and language.

 **Disclaimer** : All rights to the PJO and HoH universe go to the man, the myth, and the legend, Rick Riordan himself. I take claim to my OCs (aka, Kate, Mitch, and a future OC which you will see...eventually [maybe not though because of recent realizations]).

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistakes are mine.

* * *

 _Chapter Three_

The date was going _excellent_.

So, naturally, I was getting quite concerned.

Nothing had gone wrong. Not one little issue had gone awry. I was the perfect gentleman and she was the perfect date. It was just…perfect. Something had to go wrong at some point. I was not that lucky. Nope, not at all.

Kate looked great, to say the least. It was warm outside so she was wearing a pair of short jean shorts, flip-flops, and a white crop top that rode up just enough that her flat midriff showed. I was lucky I wasn't reduced to a drooling mess when I saw her. Really, Mark made one big mistake. I felt terribly underdressed in my cargo shorts, Captain America T-shirt, and my high-top Converse.

Lunch had been fantastic. We went to a little bistro where we ate soup and salad and just talked like we always had. Kate seemed to be incredibly nervous, but that came with the territory of first dates, even though I was a bit offended. It was just me, of course. We'd been by each other's side constantly, it wasn't exactly different.

I paid for lunch and we walked to the movie theater, which was only a few blocks away. We held hands like any other teenage couple, our linked fingers swinging between us as we walked. The movie started at 2PM, and we got there at 1:45.

I bought our tickets for some creepy new horror movie called _Orphan_ and we got in line for popcorn and drinks.

Kate gave me a look. "Are you seriously going to get us snacks?"

I grinned at her. "You don't want popcorn?"

"We just ate lunch. And it's like seven dollars for a bucket."

"Seven dollars well spent," I said with a cheeky smile.

"You can't be serious."

"Hey, I don't joke when it comes to popcorn! This is serious stuff."

Kate rolled her eyes at me and squeezed my hand. "I can't believe you."

"You'll be thanking me later."

We stepped up and I ordered a bucket of popcorn (extra butter, duh) and a large drink. Coke, of course. After a few seconds, we got our food and headed to our cinema.

We took a seat in mid-center, the perfect seat for movie viewing.

I was sort of nervous, though.

Not for the movie, no. I'd watched my fair share of horror flicks through the years, and I figured this would be no different. Loud music, jump scares, a plot that has potential, but ends up being pretty weak overall. The works. No, I was nervous about Kate.

Kate was just being…weird. She wasn't talking as much as usual and her hands were terribly clammy. She had been checking her phone ever since we'd gotten into the movie theater. I'd even heard her swear a couple times when checking it, and Kate rarely cussed.

It wasn't just those little things, though. It was like her entire demeanor had changed. She was distracted and kind of irritated. I was getting a massive vibe to lie off of her, like the one I'd gotten from her at my dad's wedding months ago. It was weird. I was worried.

I didn't voice my concerns, though. If anything, I'd figure that would offend her and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

The movie started. I curled an arm around Kate's shoulder and she tensed, but then eased up immediately and leaned into my chest. She held the popcorn and we ate in silence while the commercials rolled.

And that's the last thing that I remember.

Like I said, something had to go wrong eventually, right? Correct.

When I woke up, I was extremely disoriented. Loud country music played over the radio. Burly guys in jeans and flannel button-ups were everywhere. Balloons littered the ceiling. Waitresses were running around, delivering can after can of beer. Obscenities were thrown in after every other word. I was pretty sure my dad wouldn't approve of me being here.

I was near the back, by the restrooms, which smelled like someone had just dumped a large load in one of them. And by large load, I don't mean trash, I mean…well, you get it. There was a guy with me playing on…was that Pac-Man? He was short and stocky with curly hair so black, it was almost purple. His nose was red and his eyes were watery like he was sick. He was wearing a leopard print shirt that was so atrocious, it should have been banned in all fifty states.

"Are you here to get me my Diet Coke?"

It took me a couple seconds to realize he was talking to me. I moved my mouth but no sound seemed to come out. After a couple moments of stunned silence, I managed a clever response. "No?"

"Then could you make yourself useful and, I don't know, _get me one?!_ "

I stared at the man. He was very much glued to his Pac-Man game. Noises and various beeps emitted from the machine as I watched him clear a level. Level 46, apparently. I felt like playing Pac-Man until Level 46 was _not_ an efficient way to spend your time.

"Who _are_ you?" I asked.

"I think the better question is, who are _you?_ "

His response startled me. Then he kept going, and his next words were even more confusing. "I mean, yeah, I get it, you're the boy's stepbrother, so Uncle P wanted me to wake you up from Morpheus's enchantment, and for some gods forsaken reason, Apollo thinks you're important, but honestly, I think you're better off sleeping this over. Mortals are so clueless as it is, you'll probably take one step out of that theater you're in and have an aneurysm. We know once other mortals wake up, they probably will…"

"But…I'm not in a theater," I said dumbly. My mind was on overdrive. Nothing was making sense, but the man had said stepbrother. Of course. This all came back to Percy Jackson. In all honesty, I wasn't surprised. Not really.

"Ah, but you are. I'm just borrowing a strain of your consciousness, enough to give you that push you need to, you know, wake up."

"But where are we? Who are you?" I looked at the banner. "Who's Bobby Earl?!"

"We're somewhere in lovely country side of America. I'm Dionysus, god of wine, spirits, and parties, but you can call me Mr. D. Also madness, but that's not really a good topic to disclose for first impressions. But I don't care about first impressions, so don't tick me off. And Bobby Earl…well, I'm not really sure, but I'm sure he's having a wonderful birthday party, even though the modern world as we know it is currently ending. Bless his heart." There was a beat. "Where's my Diet Coke?"

I waved one of the waitresses over and ordered a Diet Coke for…Dionysus…? As in…the Greek…god?

"Yes, the Greek god, you dimwit. Honestly, thousands of years have passed and you mortals are still dumber than a box of rocks. Of course, you have the blood of a half-blood, but it's been so diluted, that it's best to call you mortal."

Had he just read my mind? I was pretty sure he'd just read my mind. And what the heck was a half-blood?

"Aha! Level 47!"

I rubbed my forehead, trying to wrap my mind around the circumstances. It wasn't exactly working. The only thing that was happening was I was getting a massive migraine.

"Michael Blowfish."

I didn't answer until I realized 'Michael Blowfish' sounded incredibly similar to 'Mitchell Blofis'.

"Mitchell Blofis," I corrected.

"Whatever. Listen. I'm going to return you to New York City, now. Be prepared for what you see. The situation is dire. The demigods are going to need as much help as they can get, because apparently you have potential, which to be frank, I can't quite see. You're kinda scrawny, and irritating, and I don't really get it. But apparently you're a large asset! So you must help Peter Johnson and save humanity from—Bah! Curse this blasted game! One more time and I'll send your soul to Tartarus, Blinky!"

"Blinky is a digital ghost in a 1970s arcade game."

"Technicalities!"

I waited for him to keep going, but Dionysus didn't say anything else. "Erm, save humanity?"

"Right! Help Patrick Jefferson and Anniebell Chavez save the human race! Though, human destruction would only be a minor complication—"

 _"Minor complication?!"_

"—we could easily reconstruct humans to fit our image perfectly, but that's no matter! Use your knowledge! Help us save—Level 48!"

"Save…?"

"The world! Now go! And tell Poseidon and Apollo they owe me one."

A second later, I woke up in the theater.

I squeezed my eyes shut and slumped back against the seat cushion. "Oh, thank god that was just a dream…"

Then something struck me. My eyes flew open. The movie was only in the opening scene. Kate was gone. The cinema was _silent_ , except for the movie. Like, there was no sound, whatsoever. No movement, no crunching of popcorn, no little kid being annoying. Nothing.

Cautiously, I took my phone out and thumbed it open turning on the flashlight. Then I heard the first noise. Snoring. A lot of snoring. The entire theater was sleeping. I swallowed roughly. What had the guy in my dream—Mr. D—said? The mortals…would…wake up?

No freakin' way…

I sprinted out of the theater and to the lobby. The people behind the snack counter were curled up on the ground, passed out cold. The people selling tickets were collapsed. One of them was draped over the register, drooling.

And Kate was nowhere to be found. After a brief internal conflict, I carefully checked the girl's bathroom. Luckily, no one was in there, but unluckily, Kate was missing. Just…gone.

Which led to a bad conclusion. If the mortals were asleep…then, what was Kate?

I gulped and ran outside of the theater. It was terrifying. New York City was…dead. Not literally, of course. But there wasn't a single sound from anywhere. Cars were pulled over, drivers slumped over in their seats, sleeping. People were curled up on sidewalks. It was mid-afternoon. The city was usually buzzing with activity. Seeing it so quiet was…eerie.

I shook my head. I had to get to Percy's apartment. With luck, he'd be there. I carefully removed a guy from his motorcycle and started the engine up. I'd never ridden a motorbike before and figured now was a good time to start as any. Hopefully, I'd be able to give the guy's bike back. Just in case, I found a pen and a napkin on one of the hotdog carts, wrote out 'IOU one motorcycle', and tucked the napkin in the guy's leather jacket. For consideration purposes. I wasn't a punk.

I made a beeline down Fifth Avenue and was crossing the intersection through 33rd Street when something caught my eye. Or, my ear first, rather, then my eye.

My motorcycle engine was the only thing making any noise at all in New York City. Then I heard another engine. I stopped in the middle of the intersection and peered down 33rd Street. Three white vans were lined up, engines running, and _people_. People, conscious people, standing around in what looked like a giant huddle.

I parked the bike in the middle of the intersection and sprinted down 33rd. The group was focused on something in the middle. Someone was probably the proper term, as I heard a voice that I couldn't quite make out as I got closer. None of them seemed to notice, but as I got closer, I realized what I weird sight I was seeing.

They were all kids. Teenagers. My age, maybe a bit older, and then younger. And they were all dressed in for war. Not modern war, though. They wore breastplates and had swords and daggers. A few wore helmets with blue or red plumes. A couple had old-fashioned bows and arrows. Under their armor though, they all wore the same thing. Orange T-shirts and jeans. Sneakers. Had Halloween come really early this year?

I watched as a small group cheered and then quieted down again listening to whoever was speaking.

I finally heard the voice when I was within a few steps. It was painfully familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on the speaker for the life of me. "All right. Keep in touch with cell phones."

"We don't have cell phones," I heard someone say.

There was a pause of silence and then, "You do now."

Then I saw him. The speaker. He had tousled black hair, a deep tan, and he had definitely grown into himself since I'd last seen him. He was taller, his voice was deeper, and he seemed more confident in himself. I still wasn't glad to see him, though.

"You all have Annabeth's number, right? If you need us, pick up a random phone and call us. Use it once, drop it, then borrow another one if you have to. That should make it harder for monsters to zero in on you." The speaker was none other than Percy freakin' Jackson. Annabeth stood beside him, dressed up in the same get up with a backpack slung over her shoulder. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she looked ready for…well, war. Like everyone else.

Then someone saw me. And my life flashed before my eyes.

Someone yelled, "SPY!" and instantly, everyone was facing me, weapons drawn, bows pointing at me, swords leveled at my throat, dangerous looks in each set of eyes.

A boy at the front smirked at me, sword inches from my gullet. "Any last words before you're judged before the gods?"

I yelped and rose my hands. "I have a pre-calc test tomorrow, don't hurt me!"

"Wait!"

Percy pushed through the crowd a second later, Annabeth following closely behind. The two stared at me for a good five seconds before Percy exploded. "Mitch?! What are you doing here? And how are you awake?!"

"I think the better question is why is everyone asleep?! What the hell is going on, Percy?"

"I told you. You should have just told him," said Annabeth, her voice a bit arrogant.

"Oh, shut up," Percy shot back. "Give the rest of the orders…Let me, uh, talk to Mitch."

"You know this guy?" asked the kid with the sword at my throat a bit skeptically.

"Yeah, Jake, he's cool."

Percy led me away from the rest of the group and cleared his throat. "You must have a lot of questions."

"I have more than a lot of questions."

Percy snorted. "Yeah, I can imagine. This is an awful time. We're sort of on the verge of war."

"Oh, really?" I quipped. "I thought you were all going to Dylan's Candy Bar for a nice day out."

"Right," Percy grinned a bit. "Well, you should probably hang out in the Empire State Building until this blows over. Kronos's army will be here soon. I'll assign you a couple guards…"

"No."

Percy looked surprised. "No?"

"Come on, dude. You promised Kate and I information months ago. Do you know how confused we've been?"

"I can only imagine…what happened to Kate by the way?"

"Well, we _were_ on a date, and—"

"Wait, she's not a bit—" He seemed to catch himself. "—mean person?"

"Yeah, surprisingly."

"Nice, man. So what happened?"

"We were at a movie today and I fell asleep. I dreamt about some guy in a leopard print shirt who was playing Pac-Man, and when I woke up, Kate was gone."

Percy looked conflicted. "Kate was gone…which means…that means she's not mortal. We have to warn—Wait."

"What?"

"Leopard print shirt? Pac-Man? Was he drinking Diet Coke, by any chance?"

"Uh, yeah."

" _Dionysus_ woke you up?!"

I shrugged. "He said it was a favor for Apollo and…Uncle P? I'm apparently supposed to help you."

"Apollo and…dad," Percy cursed and a language that very much wasn't English. "As much as he's an airhead, Apollo's smart. If he wanted you awake, then you have to be important. I'll fill you in on what you've missed in the past, oh, four years—"

 _"Four years?!"_

"—or so when Annabeth and I get back to the Empire State Building. For now, talk to Jake about what's going on. He knows the basics."

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean the one that had a sword at my jugular about six minutes ago?"

"That's the guy." There was a pause and he grinned at me with a glint in his eye. "You ever fought with a sword before?"

"Uh, Dad taught me a few things from college…I mean, we've practiced before."

"That's awesome." He clapped me on the shoulder. "Looks like you won't be sitting this one out, Mitch."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

Percy gave me a cheeky grin. "Do you by chance know what size breastplate you wear?"

* * *

 **Second Author's Note:** I hope Mr. D wasn't too OOC. I tried to make him _slightly_ helpful, but also his normal, jackass self. Just...uh...yeah, that's it.


	5. Chapter Four

**Author's Note** : Here's a long one! Read and review, thank ya very much!  
Update: I changed the katana thing, NOT BECAUSE I GOT CRITICIZED FOR IT. But because of Paul's Shakespearean style of swordplay, I figure Mitch would be the same way. So. Fine.

 **Rating** : This'll be a solid T rating for action sequences and language.

 **Disclaimer** : All rights to the PJO and HoH universe go to the man, the myth, and the legend, Rick Riordan himself. I take claim to my OCs (aka, Kate, Mitch, and KP [I think that's all of them]).

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistakes are mine.

* * *

 _Chapter Four_

Percy walked me back to the group. A new crew had joined the armor-plated gang of teenagers. They were made up of a bunch of adolescent girls, ranging their teenage years as well. They were dressed in white shirts, silver camouflage pants, and combat boots. They were well equipped with bows and swords hanging at their sides. A pack of wolves were at their feet and a few of the girls had falcons perched on their forearms.

Annabeth was talking a girl who stood at the front of the group with the rest of the new group rallied around her. She had spiky black hair and a black leather jacket with a silver princess tiara in her hair that definitely did _not_ match the rest of her punk-emo outfit.

"Who are they?" I muttered to Percy.

Percy was grinning from ear to ear. "The Hunters of Artemis."

I stared at him blankly.

"Girls who have sworn off boys in exchange for immortality. They serve the moon goddess, Artemis."

I kept staring.

Percy sighed. "They're our reinforcements."

"Oh, okay. Why didn't you just say that?"

Percy thumped me on the back of the head.

"Ouch," I grumbled as we reached the group, rubbing the back of my head.

"Percy!" The punk girl grinned as we approached and hugged my stepbrother. "Who's this?"

"Thalia, I'd like you to meet Mitch, my stepbrother. Mitch, this is Thalia, the leader of the Hunters."

She appraised me skeptically. "Uh, Percy? Doesn't that mean Mitch is…mortal?"

"He can see through the Mist."

"Ohhh-kay," said Thalia. "Do you really think it's a good idea for him to be here? Kronos isn't going to be merciful just because he's mortal."

"My dad and Apollo say he's important. I've learned to listen when two major gods think someone's relevant."

"Whatever you say, Seaweed Brain. We gotta catch up later. You, me, Annabeth: cheeseburgers and fries at that hotel on West 57th."

"Le Parker Meridien. You're on," said Percy.

I was kinda lost at this point. So I stuck out my hand. "Nice to meet you."

Thalia looked at me critically and finally grasped my hand, giving it a firm shake. "Ditto."

Percy looked at Annabeth. "You gave everyone their positions?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah. The Hunters have the Lincoln Tunnel. Everything's covered but, Percy, I don't know if—"

"Then don't think about. Where's Jake?"

Annabeth looked miffed that Percy cut her off like that, but she called the kid named Jake over.

"Jake, Mitch. Mitch, Jake," said Percy giving a quick introduction. "After we break, I need you to gear Mitch up."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "You sure that's a good idea, bro?"

What was with everyone thinking I was incapable? I was starting to get a bit offended.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Aye, aye, cap."

Percy nodded at both of us and whistled loudly, getting everyone's attention. The group instantly got quiet and all eyes were on him. He looked at all of us, a gleam in his sea green eyes. "You're the greatest heroes of this millennium. It doesn't matter how many monsters come at you. Fight bravely, and we _will_ win." He looked at me. "Mitch, you have a phone, don't you?"

I nodded, pulling my old flip phone out of my cargo shorts pocket.

"What's the number? Say it loud."

I frowned at him and recited my phone number so the group could hear. Percy looked at everyone. "Commit that to memory. Call Mitch or Annabeth if there's trouble. Call both if it's big trouble. Got it?"

There was a chorus of 'yes's.

Percy looked at us with a determined look and raised his sword. "FOR OLYMPUS!"

Everyone around me shouted in response and I raised my arm, cheering, because, well, I'd have looked stupid if I didn't. We sounded loud at first, our voices echoing off the skyscrapers, but the noise quickly died behind the deafening silence of the sleeping New Yorkers around us.

The group began to disperse quickly and Jake looked at me, holding out a hand. "Jake Mason, son of Hephaestus."

I looked his hand back. "Mitchell Blofis, you can call me Mitch. Son of, uh, Paul."

Jake snorted at that. "Follow me, we got extra gear in the back of one of the vans." As we walked over to one of the white vans labeled _Delphi Strawberry Service_ (which was weird considering they were deliver a bunch of highly dangerous teenagers and not strawberries), Jake said, "You ever heard of the Greek gods?"

"Yeah, we learned about them in my tenth grade literature class."

"I'm sure you've realized they're all…real."

I sighed and grinned half-heartedly at Jake. "Yeah, I kinda got that impression. Unless your grandparents had a _really_ weird taste in names."

Jake laughed as he pulled open the back doors of the van. Inside were various pieces of armor and weapons. They were all a shiny bronze in color, but a couple of the swords were silver. He looked at me and gave me an once-over, then began to rummage around in all of the equipment. "So, yeah. Most of this junk is made of celestial bronze. It kills monsters. Some is Stygian iron. Also kills monsters. You're mortal, so it won't touch you. Uhh…Annabeth is much better at explaining this than I am."

I grinned as he pulled out a breastplate and held it out to me. I took it from him. "Don't worry about it, man. We'll have time to get me caught up after we save New York."

Jake muttered something as he set to work latching all the straps on the armor.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing, you know. We're saving the entire world, not just New York."

I swallowed roughly. "Right. My bad."

"So, uh…swordplay. What kind did you use?"

"Dad has this old, authentic Elizabethan rapier. I've been a musketeer for Halloween the past six years."

"You still go Trick or Treating?"

"Are you judging?"

Jake smirked and grinned at me. "Nah. Me and the bunkmates go every year, too." Then he frowned. "A rapier, huh…" He turned around. "KP!"

An Asian kid with floppy dark hair turned around. "Yeah?"

"C'mere!"

The kid jogged over. He looked to be around fourteen and was grinning like he was having the best time of his life. He was holding a bronze—Sorry, celestial bronze—katana in his hand. "What's up, Jake?"

"You got that celestial bronze rapier I had you make last year?"

"Yeah, why? For the mortal?"

"Why do I get the sense that being called a mortal is an insult?" I wondered aloud.

The Asian kid, KP, grinned at me. "Because it is."

I frowned and raised a finger to say something, but Jake cut me off.

"Yeah, it's for Mitch."

KP raised an eyebrow and eventually shrugged. He wedged himself between us and dug around the gear for a few seconds before he pulled out a black case. He unlocked it and popped it open. Inside was a shiny bronze rapier. The hilt wasn't fancy like the fake swords we had at home, but a regular guard to keep my fingers from getting chopped off. The blade was engraved with symbols that I didn't recognize.

Jake raised an eyebrow and looked at KP. " 'One for all and all for one'?"

KP shrugged. "Can't be a musketeer without the saying."

Jake conceded with a shrug of his shoulders and looked at me. "What do you think?"

I grinned. "Yeah. That'll definitely work." I pulled it out of the case and KP grabbed the sheath. I raised my arms and KP strapped it across my breastplate, pulling the cord tight. He gave me a sly grin.

"There you go, Mitchie. Don't stab yourself."

I made a face at KP. "Don't call me _Mitchie_."

"Whatever. You coming, Jake? We have a Holland Tunnel to seal off with Greek fire."

"You guys go ahead. I'm gonna stick with Mitch for a few until we know where to stick him."

KP nodded and returned to the small group of campers. After a second, they all began to walk off in the direction of the Holland Tunnel.

"Those are my half-siblings," said Jake, signaling to the group.

I looked at him. "All children of Hephaestus?"

He nodded. "God of fire, blacksmiths, and forges. We aren't the prettiest crew, but we know the pointy end of the sword from the hilt."

"Seems like a solid group," I noted.

Jake shrugged. "We all are. All of us campers, I mean. Camp Half-Blood. It's up on Long Island."

"So that's the summer camp that Percy's always at?"

"Yeah, that's the one. It's the one safe place for us, ya know?"

"It has to suck," I said. "Being on the run all the time."

Jake thought for a second before responding. "Yeah, it can be rough at times. But we all found family with each other. There are perks to the life of a half-blood, though the dangers can sometimes outweigh the pros."

"Sometimes?" I wondered innocently.

"Most times," said Jake with a half grin.

"So this war…it's against…Kronos?" I said, taking a guess and using the name that I'd heard Percy throwing around.

Jake's smile darkened significantly. "Yeah. Lord of time and King of the Titans."

"The one who, uh…cut up his pops and threw him to the fishes?"

"That's the one," Jake confirmed.

"Ah. Sounds…fun," I muttered.

Just then, my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket. The caller ID read _Unknown_. I flipped it open and pressed it to my ear. "Hello?"

 _"Percy's stepbrother? What was his name?"_ There was some commotion on the other end. _"Oh, yeah! Mitch?"_

"Uh, yeah, that's me."

 _"It's Michael Yew, camper, son of Apollo. Listen, we got a situation on the Williamsburg Bridge. An army's marching on over. And guess who's leading it?"_

"Who?"

 _"Get this. It's the Minotaur."_

Minotaur…Minotaur…what was that again? I wracked my brain until I remembered the myth. Something with a Labyrinth and some lady who fell in love with a cow. Then there was Theseus and the string…and he killed the Minotaur. Half man, half bull.

"Did you call Annabeth?"

 _"Yeah, they're on their way."_

"I'll get there when I can, I guess…"

 _"Great! Here's to hoping you can find your way around a sword!"_ And then Michael Yew hung up.

Jake was looking at me expectantly.

"Uhh, army on the Williamsburg Bridge." I took a deep breath. "I'm gonna head there."

"You want me to come with?"

I shook my head. "Go take care of the Holland Tunnel with KP. Call me if you have a problem."

Jake nodded. "Got it."

I glanced at the motorcycle I'd left in the middle of the road. "You want a ride?"

"You don't mind?"

"Let's go."

I grinned and hopped on the bike. Jake sat on the back behind me and I gunned it down Fifth Avenue. I swerved in and out of traffic that had just stopped in the middle of the roadways. We stopped a couple times to pull pedestrians off the streets. At one point, we saw a large statue of Abraham Lincoln beating a giant with one eye. A Cyclops. I was having one wacked up hallucination if I was dreaming.

I dropped Jake off at the Holland Tunnel and made my way to the Williamsburg Bridge. It was not looking good.

Plumes of smoke billowed from unseen fires. Cars were burning. The cabin that was guarding the bridge was mostly armed with bows and arrows. They ducked behind cars and wreckage and picked off monsters one at a time. The leading phalanx of the army had linked their shields together and was advancing slowly but steadily towards the edge of the bridge. Big dogs, like the ones in the church at my dad's wedding jumped through the ranks sometimes, usually being vaporized by stray arrows. The army was almost in Manhattan territory.

I slid the bike to a halt and jumped off, running towards the campers. I drew my rapier and ran straight into the eye of the storm.

I made my way down the bridge, weaving in and out of chunks of pavement and flaming pieces of wreckage. I stooped down beside a kid who had to have been just over five feet tall. His face was smudged with soot and a red bandana was wrapped around his black hair. His brown eyes were wild with excitement and his quiver was almost empty, but he grinned at me from ear to ear.

"You must be Mitch." He held out his hand. "Michael Yew, counselor of the Apollo cabin, god of music, archery, the sun, and healing. And lots of other stuff, but we're kinda punched for time."

I shook his hand and grinned. Something about the kid was charismatic and I liked him. "Mitchell Blofis. Where're Percy and Annabeth?"

Above me, I watched as a black horse with huge black wings tucked in and dove. Another chestnut horse banked right. A car sailed over them just narrowly and both horses dropped a passenger off right in front of me and then flew away. The horses. They were pegasi.

I craned my neck to search for where the car had come from. Then I saw it. The Minotaur. Thank god I was taking Greek mythology classes. Or was it thank gods…? Anyway, the Minotaur was a huge beast, over seven feet tall. From the waist down, he was a human dressed in a leather skirt and bronze greaves. Waist up was a bull with thick, coarse fur all of his torso, neck and head. It had its…septum pierced? It did _not_ look happy while it swung a large battle axe around.

Michael looked at the two people and grinned at me. "Found them."

"That you did."

"Glad you could join us. Where are the other reinforcements?" asked Michael.

"For now, we're it," said Percy.

"Then we're dead!"

"You still have your flying chariot?" asked Annabeth.

Flying chariot? Dang, this camp sounded fun. Well, aside from the fact that we were fight an army of monsters lead by a Titan, who, if I remember correctly, is the gods' worst enemy. Good times, right?

"Nah," said Michael. "Left it at camp. I told Clarisse she could have it. Whatever, you know? Not worth fighting about anymore. But she said it was too late. We'd insulted her honor for the last time or something stupid."

"Sounds like Zuko…" I muttered.

Annabeth looked at me like I'd dropped from space. Percy and Michael snorted at me and Michael offered me a high five. I obliged his request.

"Least you tried," Percy said.

"Yeah, well, I called her some names when she said she still wouldn't fight." He shrugged. "I doubt that help. Here come the uglies!"

The little commando notched an arrow and let it fly through the air. The arrow made a screaming sound as it went. I covered my ears to try and block out the deafening sound. When it landed, it unleashed a blast of sound so loud that I thought my head was going to spontaneously combust. Cars exploded. Monsters exploded into…gold dust? Others ran away, screaming bloody murder.

I removed my hands from my ears with wide eyes. "What the hell was that?!"

Michael grinned wickedly at me. "My last sonic arrow."

"Gift from your dad?" asked Percy.

"You bet. Loud music can be bad for you. Too bad it doesn't always kill."

"Yeah," I said, feigning disappointment. "Too bad."

Percy, Annabeth, Michael, and I all turned to watch as monsters began to pick themselves back up, shaking their heads, and regrouping. They were moving even faster now.

"We have to fall back," Michael said. "I've got Kayla and Austin setting traps farther down the bridge."

Percy shook his head, eyes still zeroed in on the army before him. "No. Bring your campers forward to this position and wait for my signal. We're going to drive the enemy back to Brooklyn."

Michael snorted. "How do you plan to do that?"

Percy drew his sword in response.

"Percy, let me come with you," Annabeth said, her voice sounding worried."

"Too dangerous. Besides, I need you to help Michael coordinate the defensive line. I'll distract the monsters. You group up here. Move sleeping mortals out of the way. Then you can start picking off monsters while I keep them focused on me. If anybody can do all that, you can."

Michael snorted and covered his heart with his hand with mock offense. "Thanks a lot."

Percy didn't even look at Michael. He had his gaze fixed on Annabeth with an extreme look of intensity. Were those two dating yet? They probably should be.

Annabeth looked to be fighting with herself internally, but then reluctantly nodded. "All right. Get moving."

Percy gave her a half hearted grin. "Don't I get a kiss for luck? It's kind of tradition, right?"

I snorted and tried to cover it up with a cough, but both Annabeth and Percy glared at me. I took a sudden interest in the leather on my rapier grip.

"Come back alive, Seaweed Brain. Then we'll see."

I chanced a look up. Annabeth had drawn a bronze knife and was staring at the army advancing towards us. Then I remembered something Jake had said.

I stepped up next to Percy, rapier ready. He gave me a bewildered look. "Mitch? What are you doing?"

I didn't look at him, but I watched the enemy ahead of us. "Jake told me that your special bronze and silver crap doesn't touch me. So I'm coming with you. I've got your back. We're brothers now, right?"

Percy looked conflicted. He hesitated when speaking, "I _guess_ it could work. The celestial bronze should just pass right through you. Just try to avoid the hellhound claws. I don't think you're invulnerable to those."

I nodded, exhaling briefly. "Got it."

The army got closer and closer to us. "So," Percy said, "Just how much training do you have with that sword?"

"Enough," I said a bit cryptically.

Percy fixed me with a glare.

I sighed. "Dad was a Shakespearean actor in college. He picked up some swordplay, I was interested. We took fencing lessons. And regular sword fighting lessons. But those came from YouTube.

"So…you fence?"

"Among other things."

"And you're good?"

I waited a moment before responding. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

"Good. Then let's go."

* * *

Alright, let me start with this. I've had never actually fought anything with a sword before. Yeah, I had lessons and I'd sparred, but never to the death. Which probably isn't surprising, because sword fights to the death aren't exactly popular in the inner city. Or anywhere, for that matter.

I was scared. Percy was by my side and together, we knocked away arrows that flew at us that were unleashed by enemy lines. Percy told me he'd get the Minotaur, so I was left with watching his back. Great.

We stopped a few feet in front of the beast. It bellowed like a regular cow, but it was like fifty times louder.

"Hey, Beef Boy," Percy yelled. "Didn't I kill you already?"

The Minotaur responded by crashing its fist into the hood of a Lexus. The metal crumpled under its force like tin foil. Some snake ladies threw flaming javelins at it, which Percy knocked aside with minimal effort.

Then something _terrifying_ happened to me.

A sword sprouted through my chest. A bronze sword, straight through my sternum. But I didn't feel a thing. There was zero pain, no blood, and a very confused snake lady behind me. She pulled out the sword. There was no hole in my chest. Nothing.

I turned around. Percy was cracking up beside me at the look on the snake lady's face.

She frowned at me. "What issss going on?" With a raised eyebrow, she stuck the sword through my stomach. Still, nothing.

I feigned a look of offense, said, "Hasn't your mother taught you it isn't polite to stab people with swords?" and plunged my sword at her throat. It passed through her neck and she exploded into a cloud of gold dust. The sword in her hand fell straight down through me and clattered to the ground.

The bridge was silent. The only sound we could hear were the fires crackling around us and a couple coughs from the monster army.

"Cool party trick, huh?" Percy said. "Kronos's army, I'd like you all to meet my stepbrother, Mitch!"

At my name, a ripple went through the ranks. And then a couple monsters began yelling again, but they didn't sound as confident as before. I smirked.

A hellhound pounced at Percy and he sidestepped. When it did it again, he brought up his sword and sliced the dog into Kibbles 'n Bits.

Some monsters roared in defiance and began to surge forward, but the Minotaur grunted and they backed off. Percy spun his sword in his hand. "One on one? Just like old times?"

The beast's nose quivered. He really needed a Kleenex, but I thought it best if I didn't bring that up. He swung his axe around. Tied to the base of each blade was a necklace of beads. They were like the ones worn by Percy, Annabeth, Michael, and the other campers. Dread settled in my stomach and Percy charged.

I didn't pay attention to Percy and the Minotaur. Instead, I started my way around the circle of monsters.

I sliced and hacked my way through their ranks. Their weapons passed through me like I was a ghost. I listened to Percy's orders and avoided hellhounds. When one came to pounce me, I dodged like a pro and chopped it into dog food.

Now, I wasn't sure what I was expecting when sword fighting actually monsters came to mind. Terrifying, probably. A scared and nervous wreck. But the truth was, most of these monsters were as dumb as rocks. They weren't really familiar with the Elizabethan art of sword fighting at all, which made it easy for me to break their defenses apart like toothpicks.

I was like a tornado, spinning and ducking, jumping and slicing, until a solid layer of the monsters was vaporized. Percy had joined me at some point, I was really sure when. We were fighting back to back, though, and we were practically unstoppable. Hellhounds melted to shadow and snake ladies disintegrated around us. I was pretty sure I heard Percy laugh a couple times, which was kinda creepy.

Campers rallied behind us, sending arrows into legions of monsters and whooping and cheering as me and Percy destroyed the army. And by destroyed, I mean completely obliterated.

Finally, the monsters began to turn tail and ran away. There were only about twenty to thirty of them left. Percy and I followed, campers on our heels.

"Yeah!" Michael yelled behind us. "That's what I'm talking about!"

We drove them back all the way to the Brooklyn side of the bridge. We were going to follow further, but Annabeth's voice cut us short.

"Percy, Mitch, you've already routed them. Pull back! We're overextended!"

Percy and I plunged forward though, until we saw where the monsters were rallying. They ran straight for a huddle of reinforcements. A group of people—enemy demigods, I'd come to learn—were in armor, mounted on skeletal horses. The lead horseman took off his helmet and Percy skidded to a halt. I stopped too, upon his hesitation.

Annabeth and the campers behind us began to back off. I sensed a feeling of uneasiness as it swept through the group. The monsters we had been following were swallowed up the army of demigods.

"Now," Percy said, "we pull back."

And then the enemy charged. The horses' hooves pounded the pavement menacingly, the lead horseman advancing quickly. Beneath his helm, I could see his eyes glowing golden like miniature suns. That was Kronos. There was no doubt in my mind. No wonder Percy said to pull back. Our archers fired arrows into the enemy ranks, but they pushed forward.

"Retreat!" yelled Percy. "I'll hold them!"

The Apollo cabin tried to retreat, but they didn't make it far as Kronos's cavalry was on us in seconds. Annabeth, Percy, and I fought together in a triangle formation, cutting down skeletal horses left and right. Kronos yelled insults at us, but I was too focused on the demigods around us.

I didn't fight to kill, and neither did Percy or Annabeth. As we vaporized the skeletal ponies, the rest of the half-bloods dismounted to fight us on foot. They were a bit harder to fight than the monsters, because they had actual common sense. These guys were trained sword fighters. But just like the monsters, they weren't used to Elizabethan style fighting. Or YouTube quality swordplay lessons.

The Greeks slashed as they fought, but they were forceful about it. With my rapier, it was all about stabbing and slashing with precision. I was banking on the rapier being sharp, and luckily, it was. It didn't matter, though. On the off-chance I got hit, the swords passed right through me, just like they had with the snake ladies.

Above us, dark shapes swooped in overhead, kicking in enemy demigod helmets and flying off. They were the pegasi that I'd saw earlier that had dropped Percy and Annabeth on the bridge with Michael and me.

We were about in the middle of the bridge when everything went wrong. And by everything, I mean everything.

Behind Percy and me, Annabeth cried out in pain. We spun around to see a demigod holding a bloody knife over Annabeth. Below his helmet, I saw one eye. The other was covered by a frayed eyepatch.

After a brief pause, Percy surged forward and struck the demigod so hard with the pommel of his sword, his helmet dented. "Get back!" He slashed a wide arc around us with his sword and I did the same. Enemies rippled backwards, dodging our strikes. "No one touches her!" Percy yelled.

"Interesting…" I heard the lead horseman muse and I cursed. Percy had just given away a huge weak spot for him. I fixed my eyes on the horseman.

"Bravely fought, Percy Jackson…" And then those eyes, eyes like molten gold, met mine with a dangerous glint. "And you, Mitchell Blofis, a mortal. I am deeply impressed with you. A shame you were picked up by the losing side."

"Yeah, well, if this is the losing side, I don't mind. There's something about ladies with snakes as feet that doesn't scream _welcoming_ to new recruits."

Kronos snarled at me. "Hiding behind your wit is a coward's move. It's time for both of you to surrender…or the girl dies."

"Percy, no!" Annabeth groaned beneath us. Her shirt was soaked with blood. I looked at Percy. He seemed to be formulating a plan and I was thankful my stepbrother was quick on his feet.

"Blackjack!" he yelled.

Before anyone could react, the black pegasus swooped down from nowhere, bit onto the back of Annabeth's armor straps, and flew away over the river, towards the Empire State Building.

"Someday soon, I am going to make pegasus soup…" Kronos glared down at us as he got off his horse, spinning his scythe idly. The blade glinted in the sunlight. "But in the meantime, I'll settle for another dead demigod." He grinned coldly at me. "And a mortal."

Percy caught Kronos's first scythe strike and met my eyes quickly. "Mitch, get back to the Plaza Hotel, now! I'll be fine, go!"

I turned and sprinted down the bridge, slashing and hacking through any monster or demigod that got in my way. I made it to the end, when a familiar someone stepped out in front of me. A familiar girl, to be exact.

She was dressed in bronze armor, like everyone else, with dark jeans and black Converse. Her dark, curly hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail that swung as she stepped closer to me. Her green eyes were hardened and not joyful like I was used to seeing them. The sun hit her face so perfectly that I could count the individual freckles on her nose.

"Why am I not surprised?" I asked, my voice catching a bit.

Kate shrugged. "You're not dumb, Mitchell. But you trust too easily."

"How long?"

"Have I been working with Kronos? A while. Luke—that's the guy Kronos's form inhabits right now—came to me a long time ago. I was one of the first demigods signed on."

I raised my sword. "I don't want to fight you, Kate."

"Oh, Mitch, I know you don't, honey. But we can't always get what we want."

Kate drew her sword with lightning speed and came at me quickly. Her strikes followed one after another: quick, smooth slashes and concentrated thrusts of her blade. She was more advanced than any of the other demigods so far and to be frank, I didn't like my chances. Not only because she was that good either. Also because her sword was regular old iron. I was at risk of harm.

We danced around each other, swords flashing in the sunlight. She wasn't fighting to harm me though. I realized what was happening too late. She had sliced through the leather straps of my armor, and the breastplate fell around me.

With a triumphant smirk, Kate plunged her blade through my abdomen.

This time, I felt the sword. The first thing I thought was that it was cold. Then I felt a sharp stab of pain through my gut as she pulled out the blade. My grip on the rapier loosened and I sank to my knees, blood pooling around me. My shirt was thoroughly soaked through. My mouth tasted metallic.

I thought I was done for. But before Kate could finish me off, she crumpled to the ground, a figure behind her. A pegasus landed beside the person, who hefted me up and onto the horse behind them. The rapier was in one of their hands as we took off flying.

The last thing I saw was the Hudson River and the Empire State Building as we took off into the inner city.


	6. Chapter Five

**Author's Note** : The last one was over 5k words. This is A LOT shorter. For such a long wait, and such a short chapter, I apologize. Please read and review, follow and favorite, y'all know the drill!

PS: #ilikekatanasfightme

PPS: #thekatanawasonlytointroduceKPchill

 **Rating** : This'll be a solid T rating for action sequences and language.

 **Disclaimer** : All rights to the PJO and HoH universe go to the man, the myth, and the legend, Rick Riordan himself. I take claim to my OCs (aka, Kate, Mitch, and a future OC which you will see...eventually).

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistakes are mine.

* * *

 _Chapter Five – Percy's POV_

"Percy, you too," Thalia said. "We'll keep an eye on things. Go lie down. We need you in good shape for tonight."

Percy wanted to argue and opened his mouth to say something, but then he closed it and thought better. Thalia was right. He needed his strength desperately. One thing kept nagging in the back of his mind, though. He knew Annabeth was okay. But he still hadn't seen Mitch. Where was he?

"Percy!" "Percy!" "Percy!"

Three distinct voices all called his name and he spun around. Jake Mason, Will Solace, and KP Fujimoto were all running towards him. They skidded to a halt, out of breath.

"Percy, it's Mitch," said Jake, chest heaving, eyes troubled. "We have him stabilized, but he's losing blood fast."

"What happened?" Percy demanded. Will jerked his head and four started walking.

Will led the group and Jake shook his head, nodding to KP.

"Jake and I were riding, checking around the tunnels because ours was sealed off. Nick told us he could hold it. And then we saw Mitch coming off of the Williamsburg Bridge. He started fighting with this girl and then…she stabbed him, man. Right through the stomach. She had mad skills with her sword," finished KP worriedly.

"Describe her."

"Uhh, dark hair in a ponytail, looked angry. Freckles."

"Did she look stuck up? Held herself tall?"

KP frowned a bit. "When she saw us, she stood up straight and flipped us off."

"That's Kate," growled Percy. "I knew there was something off about her."

Will rounded into a room where Mitch was laying. There were bandages around his midsection, but a red spot in the middle seemed to grow larger and larger with every second. He was losing a lot of blood. Another Apollo camper, Percy thought her name was Kiara, was applying new bandages and pressure to the entrance wound.

"Is there anything we can do?"

Will locked eyes with Percy. Without looking away, Will said, "KP, Jake, go rally the troops. Kiara, go with them. I need a second with Percy."

Jake and KP looked like they were about to object, but upon Kiara's glare, they followed her out the door once she finished wrapping Mitch's abdomen up.

Will ran a hand though his hair as the door shut. "He's lost a lot of blood. At least four pints. I'm not sure why – with a stab wound where it's at, it shouldn't have been that bad. But it doesn't look too good. I can't give him a blood transfusion, we're all half-bloods. I can't give him ambrosia or nectar, he'd burn up."

Percy looked at his stepbrother and felt a surge of protectiveness. Yes, Mitch was older. Yes, Percy barely knew him. And yet, he knew he couldn't let him die. Paul would be devastated. So would Percy's own mother. He couldn't fail them. He looked at Will, who looked like he was debating on saying something else. "I sense a 'but' coming."

Will exhaled loudly as he began pacing around the room. "Dad gave me a gift. It was a long time ago, and I brought it with me just in case…" Will stuck his hand in his jeans pocket and removed a small vial of golden liquid that shimmered brightly in the glass.

"Is that…ichor?"

Will nodded grimly. "Apollo's blood has certain healing properties. It can heal any wound. It could easily cure Mitch and make sure he's a-okay."

"What's the catch?" asked Percy, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Giving Mitch Apollo's blood would mean turning Mitch."

Percy knitted his eyebrows together. "What do you mean 'turn'?"

"Let's put it this way. Mitch has lost a lot of blood. Way too much, in fact. If I give Mitch the transfusion, Apollo's blood would continue to multiply its supply until Mitch has enough blood again. What I'm trying to say, is that it would effectively turn Mitch into a half-blood. He'd be vulnerable to celestial bronze. No longer untouchable. But he'd be alive."

Percy scrubbed a hand down his face. "Wouldn't Apollo's blood only qualify for the four pints Mitch lost though?"

Will shrugged. "That's where it gets sketchy. This kind of remedy has never been used before. Not even on a half-blood. I'm not sure how much of Mitch's bloodstream Apollo will take over. Who knows? Mitch could end up having ichor for blood. He could be a god."

"You're telling me Mitch is going to be just like us?"

Will nodded in confirmation. "Exactly."

"And if we don't?"

"Then there's only a thirty-seven percent chance Mitch will make it."

Percy cursed in Ancient Greek under his breath. It was really a no-brainer. The answer was sitting right in front of him, in a little vial. But Percy wasn't sure.

Being a half-blood wasn't exactly a fun time. Yeah, camp was awesome and Percy met the best friends a guy could have there, but he wasn't sure he wanted to make Mitch enter the world of the gods and goddesses. He didn't even have Mitch's permission. Doing this would ruin Mitch's life as he knew it. There would be no more normal days. Mitch would have monsters on his tail, just like the rest of them.

He'd have to be careful. He'd have to be trained. He'd have to be on the alert. He'd probably be with Percy a lot more, and spend his summers at camp, just like the rest of them. But what choice did he have? If Percy told Will not to, there was a large chance that Mitch would die. He couldn't let that happen.

The answer was obvious.

"Do it," said Percy with a tired sigh.

Will's head snapped up to look at Percy. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Do whatever you have to do to keep him alive."

"Alright." Will looked at Mitch and then back at Percy. "Go get some rest, Percy. You look exhausted. We're going to need your best tonight."

"Yeah, so I've been told," Percy agreed. "Thanks, Will."

"No problem, Percy."

And Percy left to go get a nap. He crossed into the room right across the hall from Mitch and laid down on the bed. Percy wasn't sure if he'd be able to get to sleep, but his eyes closed instantly, whisking him off into the world of dreams. Bad ones, that was.


	7. Chapter Six

**Author's Note** : Sorry for the wait in advance. At least you aren't waiting for one of my Marvel stories...hehe...heh...yeeaaaah...Anyway! Here's chapter numero six! It's longer than the last one and Mitch is awake! Yaaaaay! So yeah. I hate advertising, but before I'm done here, I'm gonna advertise anyway. Deal with it. So if you like Criminal Minds, go check out my JJ/OC fic! It's not that popular considering people like Will, but I'm not a fan, so I'm tryin' to get some publicity out there. If you check it out, you all get virtual chocolate chip cookies and a shoutout. Or a special PM. Or whatever. You're welcome.

On that note, read, review, follow, favorite, the gout! Thank you all for waiting patiently, and without further ado, chapter six!

 **Rating** : This'll be a solid T rating for action sequences and language.

 **Disclaimer** : All rights to the PJO and HoH universe go to the man, the myth, and the legend, Rick Riordan himself. I take claim to my OCs (aka, Kate, Mitch, and KP [I think that's all of them]).

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistakes are mine.

* * *

 _Chapter Six_

I had multiple dreams while I was out, all consisting of sword-fighting girlfriends, large cows, and ferrets firing bows and arrows.

When I woke up from said dreams (which could arguably be called nightmares), I had no idea where I was. The first thing I noticed was my surroundings. I was in a soft bed with a fluffy pillow propped up behind my head. The walls in the room were a soft blue and the flooring was hardwood. A few other beds were scattered around the large room, but none of them were occupied. There was no one inside but me.

Beside me, on the bedside table was a glass of what looked like apple juice. There was ice in the glass and a swirly straw, which was appreciated. If a straw wasn't swirly, then you aren't living life.

The second thing I noticed was that I felt great. Absolutely fine. My limbs tingled with energy and I could've sprinted a marathon. Then I frowned as the events prior to my unconsciousness hit me like a truck.

Kate stabbed me. With a freakin' sword. The revelation was like a sucker punch to the gut. We'd been through so much together, Kate and I. The wedding, our mishaps that we liked to attempt to call relationships, the horrors of AP English class. And she _stabbed me._

She had been my best friend, but clearly that wasn't true. A lot of things that I had previously believed weren't true. I remembered Jake Mason and KP, Percy and Annabeth, fighting snake ladies and oversized dogs. I remembered Percy fighting the Minotaur, of all things. The mythological beast straight out of my Greek literature textbook.

But the prominent memory was the way the cold metal of Kate's sword pierced right through my stomach and went out the other side. My abdominal area was unusually cold and I had a feeling it'd always be that way. I could recall the satisfied, yet a bit remorseful, look in Kate's eyes as she ran me through, and then pulled the blade out, leaving me to bleed out in the streets. From there, though, everything just seemed to get fuzzy.

I sat up, expecting a wave of dizziness or at least some sort of minor discomfort to plague me, but I felt fine. I was wearing clothes that weren't mine. An orange T-shirt with some gray drawstring sweatpants. The design on the T-shirt was strange. The words read _Camp Half-Blood._

Camp Half-Blood…the kid who had helped me, Jake Mason. He said Camp Half-Blood was on Long Island. I was at the camp that Percy was always at, I realized. Great. My dad was probably freaking out. Hopefully.

The decal was a horse with wings right under the words. Horse with wings. I vaguely recalled a black flying horse that Percy rode. That same black horse carried Annabeth off when she had been stabbed herself.

What were they called again…? Wings…horses…Pegasus.

I was either having a really weird, really long dream, or I was on something. And I was pretty sure it wasn't the latter. None of this made any sense. Percy had told me that the world of Greek mythology was all real, but he couldn't have been right. Could he?

I pushed myself up and swung my legs out of the bed so they dangled over the hardwood floor. I wiggled my toes in a pair of stark white socks (seriously, they were so white, it was almost blinding. I was very impressed) that weren't mine. If they were mine, they wouldn't have been white anymore.

I lifted my shirt cautiously, ready to find an ugly red scar in the center of my stomach and an identical one on my back. There wasn't one. There was _nothing._ My stomach looked normal. Completely fine.

Blowing a breath out through clenched teeth, I grasped the cold glass with the swirly straw and took a sip of the drink. As soon as I tasted the liquid, I gagged, nearly spitting out the _warm_ drink. How can things be warm with ice?! Anyway, I was fully expecting apple juice, instead getting a mouthful of cheeseburger. Yep, you heard me. Warm, greasy, delicious cheeseburger. In drink form.

The drink made me feel even better than I already did. A warm feeling spread through my chest and stomach like it was filling me with pure electricity. My arms and legs tingled even more than they had been. I felt like I could run _two_ marathons. I was pretty sure fatty, greasy, cholesterol-filled cheeseburgers didn't make people feel that way. None I had eaten anyway.

Anyway, as I was gagging (like an idiot, probably), a voice sounded from the other side of the room. "Don't drop that glass. Chiron would be ticked."

I turned to see a guy in cargo shorts and an orange T-shirt like mine, but the sleeves were ripped off. He was also wearing a pair of flip-flops. I took one look him and the word 'surfer' thoroughly summarized the guy. He had windswept, unruly blond hair and eyes so blue that I could see them from where I was sitting. He had a dark tan like he spent most of his time outside. In one of his hands, he held a pair of Nike sandals that he threw at my feet as he approached me.

The guy stuck out his hand. "I'm Will. Will Solace. I've been taking care of you."

After getting over the fact that I was drinking liquid cheeseburger (it was delightful after I got used to it), I shook the kid's hand. "Mitchell Blofis. Mitch. How, ah, how long have I been out?" My voice was raspy and came out like a frog's croak. It was positively disgusting.

Will grinned at me with blinding white teeth. On a side note, there was no way this guy didn't use whitening strips. No one's teeth were that perfect. "About three days. It's August 19."

"Where am I?" I asked as I took another drink of burger.

"What is this, Twenty Questions?" Will joked.

"I'm sorry that I have no idea who you are or what's going on, and that I'm forgetting my manners," I said sarcastically and smirked. "How are you, Will? It's absolutely delightful to meet you."

Will snorted. "Yeah, okay, whatever. You and Percy are gonna get along great…" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "C'mon. Chiron wants to talk to you and I'm sure Percy will want to know you're alright."

I shrugged and hopped off the bed, slipping on the sandals, and draining the glass, licking my lips. "You got anymore of that stuff?" I asked.

"Yeah, but unless you want to be a pile of ashes, you aren't getting any," said Will cryptically as he led me out of the room into a hallway, and then out the door of the building we were in. The scenery was so gorgeous, it took me a second to respond to Will's sarcasm.

We were on the wraparound deck of a large house. Ahead of me was a collection of buildings that reminded me heavily of ancient Greek architecture. Which, it probably was, considering what had happened in the past seventy-two hours. There was a pavilion, an amphitheater, and a circular arena with large, marble white pillars. It hit me that it couldn't have been ancient Greek; everything looked brand new.

Near the buildings, I saw a rock wall and I was excited for a total of three seconds until I saw a fiery red liquid pour from the top. The kid in an orange shirt on the wall dodged just in time as the stuff that burned the area he'd just been clinging to. It was lava. A rock wall that spilled _lava._ What the hell kind of camp did Percy go to?!

There was a sandpit nearby where a few kids in the same orange T-shirts that Will and I had were playing volleyball. If I wasn't hallucinating, a couple of those kids had green tinted skin. There was also a basketball court nearby where I wasn't sure, but I think Percy was playing.

A pod of cabins was nestled in a forest off to the side, but it also looked like the area was under construction. They seemed to be adding cabins as there were a few rough outlines of new buildings well underway.

"What do you mean a pile of ashes?" I finally asked.

"That stuff's nectar, the drink of the gods. Enough of that, and you'll burn up like hair on fire."

"Hair on fire?"

"It happens here more than you'd think."

That didn't make me feel very safe.

At the end of the porch sat a guy in a wheelchair, a kid about thirteen years old who looked incredibly inconvenienced, and a pudgy guy. A pudgy guy that I recognized as Mr. D. Percy had called him Dionysus, but I had a feeling we weren't on a first name basis just yet.

They were sitting around a card table as the kid dealt out the fifth card between them. I recognized poker chips. It wasn't much of a shock that Mr. D was the gambling type, but I wasn't going to say that. That would have been rude.

We stopped at the table and the man in the wheelchair and Mr. D looked up at us. The kid was staring intently at Will and I, silently pleading us for help. I felt bad. The man in the wheelchair was smiling lightly at us, on the other hand. He wore a plain white long sleeved shirt and a blanket over his legs. He had brown, graying hair, with a hairline that was receding only slightly and a scraggly beard. His eyes were the shade of coffee with a twinkle in them that was warm and inviting.

And then I looked at Mr. D, who, in turn, was glaring at us. Of course.

"Miguel Boxtop." Mr. D sounded annoyed. "You're awake. What a miracle. After what Walt tried, I wasn't sure you'd make it." His words were nice, but his monotone voice proved Mr. D was anything but. I was second-guessing my stay at Percy's camp. Drinks that turned kids to ash, lava rock walls, burning hair wasn't exactly a recipe for a good time (and it all had to do with fire, which was especially concerning). He'd also called me Miguel Boxtop. That was kind of insulting. My name wasn't _that_ hard to remember. Do I look like a Miguel?

"I'm Walt," Will muttered lowly to me.

That made me feel a bit better. At least I wasn't his only victim.

"Dionysus, try to be polite for once," the man in the wheelchair chided gently. "The boy is going through a lot."

"Bah. You're too caring for your own good, Chiron. I'm still waiting for the day that you learn that these mindless half-bloods aren't worth your time." There was a pause as Mr. D laid his hand out on the table with a cocky smirk. "Full house."

The man, Chiron, merely smiled politely back as he put down his cards. "Straight flush."

Mr. D glared at the man and I was sure Mr. D would kill him. I wasn't sure how. Dionysus was terribly chubby and he looked like walking a few steps would cause him to go into cardiac arrest, but he was _Dionysus._ Greek god of wine, parties, and of course, madness. Chiron was just a guy in a wheelchair. He wouldn't stand a chance against a god. At least that's what I thought.

After a moment, Mr. D merely threw down his cards and shook his head. "I must be heading to Olympus. Something about Anniebell recreating our thrones. Honestly, why they're letting that girl redesign the home of the gods is beyond me."

"She's a very talented girl, Dionysus, and it would do you well to remember that that girl's name is Annabeth. I'm sure Athena wouldn't take too kindly for you insulting her daughter," said Chiron.

Mr. D muttered something about 'olives' and 'sensitive war goddesses' before clearing his throat. "Right, Annabeth, whatever. I'll be back. Don't let any of the campers escape, Chiron, I'd hate to fill out paperwork." Without waiting for Chiron's response, Mr. D disappeared into a cloud of purple, the smell of grapes lilting in the air. I merely stared at the spot where he had been standing.

"Eric, you can go now. Thank you," said Chiron.

The kid who had been dealing cards was smiling now, clearly relieved. He squeezed between Will and I and I watched him as he took off running towards the volleyball court, quickly joining the shorthanded team.

"Mitchell." Chiron's soft voice prompted me to look at him. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "I – I'm not really sure. I mean, I feel great, physically. Like a million bucks. Mentally…I'm on overdrive. This is crazy."

Chiron laughed. "That's normal, at first. I'm sure you'll get used to it here. Lots of half-bloods have made the transition, I'm confident you can, too."

I frowned at that. "Half-blood? Maddi told me I didn't smell like a half-blood."

Will snorted next to me. "Maddi?"

I looked at him. "Vampire donkey cyborg cheerleader."

"I think the word you're looking for is empousa," he corrected.

"Whatever. I'm sticking with vampire donkey cyborg cheerleader. VDCC for short."

"You're an idiot."

"You barely know me."

"I know Percy and he's an idiot, so I'll just go out on a limb and say you are too."

"That's really offensive, Will, you take that back. I'm nothing like him."

Before Will could respond, Chiron cleared his throat slightly. We both returned our attention to the man in the wheelchair, muttering apologies.

"Right. You aren't. A half-blood, that is. Technically. Sort of."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at Chiron. "What do you mean by that?"

Chiron seemed to age ten years as he sighed wearily. "I'd like to let Percy explain. Shall we?"

I shrugged. "Lead the way."

I was waiting for Chiron to begin wheeling himself around, but instead he started to get…taller. His blanket fell off of his legs, but he didn't move. Previously mentioned legs got longer and longer, rising above his waistline. And then they were white. Not like, pure white, like white…fur. White freaking fur. And to top it all off, he pulled two, then four, polished hooves out of the box that now just resembled a wheelchair. Before me stood the front of a white stallion, but waist up, he was Chiron, wheelchair dude.

I cursed myself for being an idiot. Chiron in Greek mythology was the trainer of heroes, an immortal centaur, a son of Kronos. Immortal being the keyword, as he stood right before me. A centaur. Half man, half horse.

"I've been in that cursed box for much too long waiting for you to wake up, Mitchell. You're lucky you're special," Chiron said like he was scolding me, but he was smiling and there was a joking manner to his tone. I would have laughed right along with him, if I wasn't internally screaming.

Instead, I repeated, "Special," dumbly.

Chiron just laughed a hearty laugh and clapped me on the shoulder. "C'mon, Mitchell. Will, you too if you like. Let's go find Percy."

* * *

 **A/N** **:** And that's a wrap! I'd like to note, that yes, I did heavily parallel the opening Camp Half-Blood scene in _The Lightning Thief_ , so any references you see is from that. I just wanted to get all my facts down right, so don't go yelling at me for not being original. Definitely don't go yelling at me for not being original when 90% of OCs in the Percy Jackson world (or any fictional universe for that matter) are female. And **definitely** don't go yelling at me on the prospect of originality when all the male OCs in this world are CHAOS. Literally, of all the OCs, 95% are Chaos. Of the ones that aren't, 90% are female. I'm sorry, this turned into a mini rant because the 'dark!Percy teaming up with Chaos because Annabeth is dead/cheating on him' is so overdone it hurts my soul. Sorry, I love you all, have a nice day, review my chappie please.

I'm done now.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Author's Note** : HERE YA GO. In case you all hadn't realized by now, I have no real update schedule for this story. Or any of my stories. My Schedule of Life is too wack for that, so I get writing when I can and when I complete something, you all get it. I've also noticed (and keep forgetting) that you guys ask questions in the comments about specific parts of the story. Since I always forget, just PM me any in depth questions you have and I'll get back to you that way. BUT KEEP REVIEWING. I like those. Those are nice.

On another note, I've played Skyrim for 42 hours in the past 3 days. I need help.

And that's about it! Go read and review this chapter, follow and favorite if you feel so inclined, and have a wonderful day!

 **Rating** : This'll be a solid T rating for action sequences and language.

 **Disclaimer** : All rights to the PJO and HoH universe go to the man, the myth, and the legend, Rick Riordan himself. I take claim to my OCs (aka, Kate, Mitch, and KP [I think that's all of them]).

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistakes are mine.

* * *

 _Chapter Seven_

Chiron and Will led me over to the basketball court. We weaved through campers, who were mainly composed of teenagers, in the same orange T-shirts. There were a few girls with greenish skin that were kind of freaking me out. I'm pretty sure I also saw a bird lady with wings and claws that looked vaguely life threatening.

I was really starting to question the safety of this camp.

Percy was playing basketball with seven other guys. They were playing shirts and skins, and of course, Percy was skins. They seemed to be taking a break and Percy was talking to a blonde girl. Annabeth. The other campers seemed to be annoyed that they were taking a break and a couple of girls were glaring at Annabeth pointedly and practically drooling over Percy. Go figure.

Percy and Annabeth caught sight of us and his smile seemed to vanish from his face. He tossed the basketball to one of the other campers, picked up his shirt off the ground, and signaled to Annabeth before jogging over to meet us while pulling on his cutoff.

"Mitch! You're awake!" he exclaimed. Annabeth actually smiled at me, which was kind of off-putting.

"It's great of you to notice," I drawled. "Were you having fun playing basketball while I was in a coma?"

Percy rolled his eyes and shook his head before biting the inside of his cheek. "How are you feeling, man?"

I shrugged. "To be honest?" I asked. "Like a million bucks."

Percy looked relieved, but a bit nervous at the same time. He glanced at Annabeth, who shrugged and said, "Leave me out of this. I'll be…somewhere far from here."

I watched as she walked away and wrinkled my nose up. "What'd she mean? Where's she goin'?"

Percy looked conflicted. "Will, you wanna take my place?" he asked, gesturing to the court.

Will grinned mischievously as he tugged his own cutoff off and tossed it aside. "I'd love to, Perce. Break the news to him easy, killer." Without an explanation of what he meant, Will jogged over to the basketball court and the game resumed.

"What's he talking about?" I asked again.

"Chiron, can I talk to Mitch? You know, alone?"

Chiron nodded and his tail flicked, the fibers smacking me in the back of the head. Percy snorted and Chiron lightly smiled down at me. "Sure. Don't let him burn down the camp, okay?" he asked Percy.

Percy just nodded with a weak smile in return and the centaur galloped off. I watched him go before turning back to Percy. "What's going on?!" I asked a bit more forcefully.

Percy sighed. "Let's walk." So we did. Percy started leading me through the camp. He pointed to buildings and told me about each one and what they did until we came to a stop in front of an archery range. He gestured to it. "You ever shoot before?"

I looked around before I shook my head. There were a couple of lawn chairs out and a bow on a table with a quiver of arrows. "I wanted to when I was younger. Dad said I'd put an arrow through my foot. Never got the chance."

"Ever heard of Apollo?"

I racked my brain for a moment. "Uh…Greek god of music…and archery, right?"

Percy waved his hand. "And poetry, and healing, and the sun, and…well you get it. Among other things. Most importantly here…healing." Percy sobered up, which I had a feeling was a rare thing. "You were almost dead, Mitch. Nico, uh, he's a son of Hades. He could _feel_ your life force draining into the Underworld."

"Oh, that's comforting," I said sarcastically. "Thank you, Mr. Sunshine."

Percy smacked me upside the head. "Be serious for a second!"

I rubbed my head and glared at him. "Okay, fine, yeah. I got stabbed by my ex-girlfriend and almost died. There are better ways to dump a guy…"

"You were going to die and I couldn't let that happen," Percy said. He seemed almost sorry and I tensed, my eyes narrowing.

"What'd you do, Percy?"

He took a deep breath before letting loose a torrent of words I could barely follow. "Will had a vial of Apollo's blood that Apollo, his dad, gave him for his birthday. It was rumored to have healing properties. Anyone who received the blood would be guaranteed a full recovery of any illness or wound. Well, for demigods anyway. But mortals…we weren't sure. But Will offered to let me use it on you. Annabeth was already healing up and you were almost gone and Paul would have killed me so I let Will inject Apollo's blood into your system."

"You _what?!_ " I exclaimed.

"Don't be mad! It saved your life, actually. But now…now you're a half-blood. Sort of."

"A half-blood," I repeated dumbly.

"Yeah. That's why you feel so invigorated. Apollo's blood is mingling with yours. We aren't sure of the long-term or short-term effects, so Will wants to keep an eye on you. Personally."

"I'm part god." I was freaking out. I felt like I was going to spontaneously combust. A _half-blood?!_ That meant I was vulnerable. That meant monsters could smell me. Oh god, what was Dad gonna say? Or was it _gods_ now?

"So…I can't go home," I summarized. "And now monsters can hurt me. And smell me. And I'm basically on the radar for everything mythological."

Percy smiled at me weakly. "Pretty much. The good news is that being a demigod comes with its perks. Reading Ancient Greek. Swordplay. Enhanced battle reflexes. You're ADHD anyway, aren't you?"

"Uh, yeah," I muttered, collapsing into one of the chairs. "Just gotta sit for a minute."

Percy sat next to me and rested a hand on my shoulder. "It's overwhelming, trust me, I know. I already called Paul and explained the situation to him. Just think about your time here as…step-sibling bonding time."

"Yeah. Something about lava rock walls, monsters, and Greek gods really screams bonding, you know?" I quipped.

Percy shook his head. "Are you actually, you know…pissed at me, or is sarcasm your default language?"

"No, I'm not mad. Okay, maybe I'm a little bit mad, but I don't see how I can be if you practically saved my life. I just…I'm not sure how to handle all of this." I raked a hand through my hair. I was downplaying my reaction to all of this. Majorly. On the inside, my stomach was doing backflips and my blood was on fire. Was it hot outside? It definitely felt hot outside.

"Well, for starters, you'll be staying here at camp for a while. Don't worry about talking to Paul. We can IM him."

"Instant message?"

" _Iris_ message," Percy corrected.

"Which is…?"

"Communication via rainbow."

"Right. Communication via rainbow. Of course, what else would it be?" I grinned weakly.

Percy put a hand on my shoulder. "Trust me, it's not bad here. You and Will seem to be getting along and you'll be staying in his cabin, so if you have any questions and I'm not around, you have Will. Annabeth likes you, she's just…well, she's Annabeth. You'll get used to her. KP and Jake Mason are always around. Speaking of, we'll have to get you outfitted. Sword, too."

"Of course. Outfitted with what, armor, right?"

Percy grinned widely. "Now you're getting the hang of it! I've arranged for you to have study sessions with Annabeth everyday for the next few weeks to catch you up to speed on the war, the previous wars, myths that aren't actually myths, and Ancient Greek."

"You're gonna try and teach me Ancient Greek? Percy, I barely speak proper English."

"Trust me, same here, bro. I'll come with you for the first few sessions until you and Annabeth are all buddy-buddy." He glanced at the archery targets. "You wanna give it a shot?"

"You really trust me with a bow and arrow?"

"No, but you have Apollo's blood. You better be nothing less than a perfect shot."

"Yeah, so no pressure."

Percy snorted. "No pressure." He bent down and picked up the compound bow and held it out to me. "Here. Drawback weight of sixty pounds. Will recommended it for you."

I took it skeptically. "This is really fancy for Ancient Greece."

Percy rolled it his eyes at me. "We're still modernized, Blowfish."

I scowled at him and picked up an arrow. I fitted the arrow into the strings and pulled it back easily. Percy backed off immediately. "You know what you're doing with that thing?"

As I aimed down the sights, I put the white bull's-eye of the target dummy right in the crosshairs and grinned slightly. "Not a clue," I responded, and released the string. The string snapped the air where my forearm had been and the arrow flew through the air, wedging itself right in the middle of the torso of the dummy.

I stared. Wordlessly, Percy handed me another arrow. The same thing happened. Except this time, the arrow split the arrow I'd previously fired straight down the middle.

I stared again. Percy stared also. Neither of us said a word. Until there was a cough behind us.

Both of us turned, still stunned at the fact that I didn't completely miss the target and hit a tree or a person or…something. Behind us stood Annabeth, eyebrows raised. "Percy, uh, Chiron wants to see you. Preparations for Capture the Flag later tonight…" she trailed off.

"Capture the Flag?" I asked.

"Yeah," said Annabeth. "Except with weapons and armor."

"Weapons and armor. Like…actual dangerous stuff?"

"Actual dangerous stuff," Annabeth confirmed.

"Like…this?" I held up the compound bow.

"Like that. C'mon. Let's get you a sword and some armor for tonight."

I tensed. I really didn't like the idea of going anywhere alone with Annabeth. She was just…intimidating. And scary. And she looked like she could take off my head in a matter of seconds. Which, judging by the knife at her hip, she probably could. I gulped. "Uh, what about Percy?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, I don't bite."

"Annabeth, I don't—" Percy tried to interject.

"Percy! Go see Chiron!"

"I just feel like I should show him the ropes," Percy protested.

"We don't have time to argue about this."

"No, we don't, which is why you can go tell Chiron that I'll see him after I get Mitch set up for tonight."

"No, Percy, you're going to see Chiron now, and I'm going to get Mitch ready for tonight."

"Annabeth, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Mitch'll be fine, Percy!"

Their voices were rising progressively until both of them were shouting and I was feeling effectively very uncomfortable. "Does Mitch get a say in this?" I asked, raising my hand.

"No!" they both yelled at me.

I quickly put my hand down and locked eyes with Percy. We seemed to have a silent conversation.

 _Percy, man, I'll be fine._

 _You sure?_

 _Go see Chiron before she kills us both._

 _Right. Good luck, man._

"Fine," Percy relented. "I'll be to the armory as soon as I can. Try not to kill each other."

Percy gave each of us one more look before sprinting back towards the blue farm house.

Annabeth and I looked at each other. No one said anything for a full minute. It was the most awkward minute of my life. Annabeth finally broke the silence after what seemed like a lifetime. "So have you ever shot a bow prior to Apollo's blood?"

"Nope."

She said nothing, which made me even more nervous. "Why?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.

She kind of smirked at me playfully, which was just weird, because she looked mischievous while doing so. "Remind me later to pick the Apollo cabin for Capture the Flag," was all she said before spinning around and walking off.

I just stood there, confused, compound bow still in my hand.

"You coming?" she called over her shoulder.

I opened my mouth to ask a question, but she cut me off.

"Bring the bow."

I shut my mouth and my nose twitched a bit. I figured it was best to just follow Annabeth to the armory. So I did.


End file.
